


Invincible

by madaliz



Series: "Invincible" Fic Series [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-27
Updated: 2017-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-03 19:12:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 122,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madaliz/pseuds/madaliz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touou!Kagami AU. Eight years later, the moment they met would be widely regarded as the beginning of a legend. This is the story of today, and how they get there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an idea that just wouldn't leave me alone. So despite my lack of confidence in writing fiction, I gave it a shot. If the content here is slightly different from my tumblr that's because I edited them before posting them here. I self-edit though, and English isn't my native language, so I might still miss some things.

Eight years later, the moment they met would be widely regarded as the beginning of a legend, but nine years before that, or a year before today, Kagami Taiga and Aomine Daiki are experiencing the worst day of their lives.

It happens like this: Himuro Tatsuya challenges Kagami Taiga to a final one-on-one wherein the stakes are nothing less than the most important relationship of Kagami’s life, while, on the other side of the globe Aomine Daiki discovers that the light and love of his life is no longer something worth doing. Later that day when Kagami is coercing his parents to send him to Japan and Aomine is trying not to think of the face of the friend he'd pointedly ignored, the thought that _“Everything is going to change”_  crosses their minds.

And, true to their suspicions, nothing was ever the same.

The less said about the one year between the worst day of their lives and the day they meet, the better. This is what they tell themselves now, and this is what they tell all nosy press and paparazzi eight years later.

Kagami doesn’t want to remember, and he doesn’t want people asking. He doesn't want to think about the year he couldn’t bring himself to play basketball with anyone but himself. He doesn't want to think about all the nights in empty basketball courts. He doesn't want to think about having to quit his new middle school's basketball team, unable to cope with the stifling presence his teammates. He doesn't want to remember wallowing in something that wasn’t quite self-hate but more than just a little bit like it.

He told himself he feels bad because the standards in Japan are just so damn  ** _bad_** , and he believed it. He didn't want to think about the truth. He still doesn't.

Kagami spent his year before Touou filled to the brim with negativity. Aomine spent it hollow.

He just didn't care. He didn't want to care. It was pointless to care. And if everyone around him was falling apart or ascending into a level of wrongness Tetsu couldn't stand to be a part of that definitely wasn't his problem. Isn't his problem. In the end all of it is pointless to think about anyway.

A few months before Touou, Kuroko Tetsuya disappears from the Teikou basketball team’s sight, and Aomine tells himself nothing's wrong. 

A few months before Touou, Kagami sits alone at a Maji Burger at some ungodly hour, drenched sweat from another lonely night of playing by himself, and finds himself realizing that everything's wrong.

He hopes his high school has a basketball team. 

Shortly into Touou's new semester, otherwise known as the beginning of a legend, or today, Aomine Daiki meets Kagami Taiga for the first time.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Aomine looks at the new arrival and likens him to an abandoned dog—wary, irritable, and a little nervous. Their homeroom teacher mentions that he’s a returnee from America, which gets Aomine’s attention for all of two seconds before the rest of the class starts throwing questions at the guy. No way is he going to fight the crowd just because the new kid's from the States. Too much energy wasted.

Aomine notes that you really get the returnee vibe in heaps from the new kid in the way he struggles to answer all the questions. He doesn’t seem to know  ** _how_**  he should talk, it's not that he has the accent of someone unused to speaking Japanese, but he looks like he’s having a hard time choosing words. It’s kind of funny in a pathetic way cause he’s trying to talk politely but he keeps slipping into a really disrespectful mode of talking and it’s just—nobody talks like that (1). There’s disrespectful, and then there’s this. You don’t hear a guy talking like this anywhere but a manga. Who the hell taught this kid Japanese? Maybe it’s a thing with returnees. He wouldn’t know though, no point of comparison and all and—AGH

 _‘Everyone is so damn_ **noisy** ,  _like what the hell’_ —he tilts his head back, closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose, hoping that he can somehow block the noise out of his mind.

“Ok that’s enough,” their teacher says it firmly enough that the chattering dies down “Kagami-kun, your seat will be the one next to Aomine-kun’s in the back.”

The murmurs die down completely as their teacher starts taking attendance. Aomine inwardly sighs in relief and slowly opens his eyes to find… the new guy staring at him.

….Correction,  ** _glaring_**  at him,  _‘The hell is this guy’s problem?’_ he thinks irately, eyebrows furrowing and nose scrunching as he returns the scrutiny.

“…Nice to meet you,” Kagami says after a beat.

Aomine just blinks for a moment, stunned, before managing to answer with a “Hi.”

Kagami nods at him as he sits, then faces forward to listen to whatever their teacher is saying. Aomine lets his gaze linger on him for a moment before he turns his attention elsewhere.

Thirty minutes later (ten minutes into first period), Aomine falls asleep and Kagami is staring at him like he’s grown another head (though he tries his best to seem like he isn’t).

When Kagami first entered the classroom Aomine had immediately caught his eye. Sure the guy looked sleepy, bored out of his wits, and itching to get out of his seat, but he also had this weird commanding aura to him. Admittedly, Kagami isn’t the best at reading people most of the time, but he had a pretty good sense of who had the potential to succeed and who didn’t, because people like that smelled different. He didn’t even know his name, but Kagami  ** _did_**  know that Aomine’s smell was overwhelming, and that was, well, that was  ** _interesting_**.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Kagami joins the Touou basketball club, although he hasn’t actually heard shit about it. Admittedly he doesn't care one way or other. He just wants to play basketball. He _**does**_ overhear the other freshmen talk about how they’ve been recruiting really good players lately to strengthen the team and how they even got the  _“ace of the generation of miracles”_ ( _‘Whatever the hell that means’_ , Kagami thinks).

Well, at least it'd be a pretty good incentive if their players are as strong as they're made out to be.

The applicant freshmen who didn't have the privilege of getting scouted are lined up for the captain and team manager's introductions. Kagami's distracted nearly the entire time because the guy standing next to him keeps fidgeting and muttering  _‘Sorry’_  every time he so much as  ** _looks_** at him. It's annoying as hell but at least the guy doesn’t smell like a weakling. In fact it's the opposite. He has the smell of a guy who hates losing, and can actually back it up. 

The other freshmen aren't really worth his time, but thankfully the team's regulars are. Their Captain looked competent despite the creepy smile on his face and a voice that’s made it sound like he was trying to be sincere but succeeded in sounding patronizing 75% of the time instead. But maybe that was the secret to his competence. He had a smell akin to that kid in Kagami's elementary school who used to blackmail people into giving him their snacks. 

Their Captain (Imayoshi, if Kagami is remembering it right) is still in the middle of telling them what they're expected to do when one of Kagami's classmates walks into the gym. Despite smelling the talent on him earlier in their classroom he was still a bit surprised by his arrival. Their team manager (Momoi?) immediately stomps over to him and scolds him for being late. His classmate just looks away obviously irritated. He takes his place on the team captain's left and gets introduced as “Aomine Daiki from Teikou” as if it’s supposed to mean something. When all the other freshmen start fidgeting as Aomine sweeps a judging gaze at them, Kagami guesses that yeah, it probably should.

And so he does the only logical thing to do in this situation. 

Looking straight at Aomine he says:"Play me one-on-one?", with an air of nonchalance which hid (he hoped it did) his bubbling curiosity.

His sudden declaration is met by silence. Everyone stares at him wide-eyed, like he’s crazy - except Imayoshi, who seems incredibly amused, and Aomine, who’s looking at him like he doesn’t know what to make of him at all.

His tone irritated and lazy when he says “Eh? Who are y—“ and then he stops, looking as if something just dawned on him. He stares at Kagami’s face, and his expression goes from bored to surprised to slightly amused.

“You’re the returnee,” he says, and the growing smirk on his face makes Kagami want to punch him. “Alright then, let’s play.”

Imayoshi and Momoi look at each other. Imayoshi says “Do whatever you want,” just as Momoi says “We should ask Coach first.”

She glares at him for that, and he gives her the most unapologetic apologetic look that anyone has ever seen in reply.

“Fine,” she says, sighing. “I guess if Aomine-kun wants to, Coach would have said yes anyway.”

And then, Kagami swears, he hears a tall blonde second year to the captain's right say “Stupid fucking bastard,” but Imayoshi elbows him so hard that he doubles over, so he doesn’t really know for sure.

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when a ball is thrown to his face. He catches it despite his surprise, and he’s about to mouth off the bastard who threw it at him but stops when he realizes it was Aomine.

“Stop standing around, you challenged me remember? Let’s get on with this.” Kagami just really, really wants to punch the bastard, but beating him at a one-on-one would be much more satisfying. So he keeps silent and walks towards where Aomine is.

“Just so you know—“ Aomine starts, when they’re face to face “—this is me testing you. Nobody’s expecting a real match.”

Kagami grits his teeth,  _“What the fuck is this bastard’s **DEAL?”**_ , he’s about to retort but the way Aomine’s face shifts from a teasing smirk to something colder quiets him.

“I’m not looking for something that doesn’t exist like a player who’s better than me. I just want to know how much you can do, to relieve my boredom.”

Aomine’s intensity is intimidating up close like this, but Kagami won’t let it bother him. He takes a slow, deep breath before he says “You really know how to piss a guy off don’t you? Shut up and play. I am going to  ** _CRUSH_** you.”

The smirk he receives in reply and Aomine's very first step forward gives him the feeling that this won’t really work out the way he wants it to.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Kagami loses spectacularly.

He would find it funny if he didn’t feel so humiliated. Despite his shame however, he can’t help but get fired up, because this guy, Aomine? He’s damn fucking amazing. He’s so unreal that Kagami is actually extremely upset about it. But at the same time, he did say he wanted a challenge, and well, this is it, and it is one  ** _heck_** of a challenge.

“You lose.” Aomine says, staring down at Kagami who’d fallen flat on his ass

Kagami grunts, hopes that the sound says  _“Yeah I KNOW”_  for him clearly enough, and starts getting up. Aomine says nothing further and walks out of the gym. Momoi seems to want to try to call after him but then sighs and mutters “Oh nevermind…”

The rest of the freshmen try to pretend the one-on-one didn’t just happen (after Kagami glares a few gigglers into silence), but the tension is painfully apparent when they’re being grouped for practice matches between first years to gauge their strength.

“In case you’ve already forgotten I’m Momoi Satsuki, your new team manager, and from now on I will be the one to watch your progress and brief you on our opponents whenever the coach isn’t around and sometimes even when he is. This I will do aside from the usual managerial obligations, of course, which by the way do NOT include being your water girl just so we're clear.” She’s amiable enough, but it almost sounds like a threat.

Which is why he jumps when she turns to look at him

“Kagami-kun,” she starts, and he has a really bad feeling about this, “Don’t worry about losing to  ** _him_** there’s absolutely no shame in that, your form was good.” and Kagami can hear the  _“I want to see if you can do better”_ that goes unsaid.

He is simultaneously offended and ridiculously flattered, but he’s not quite sure what would be the appropriate verbal response to that so he just nods.

His performance shuts everyone up this time too, but for very difference reasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

If Kagami went to any other school, he’d probably be seen as a big damn genius. This is Aomine’s assessment of him after their one-on-one. He’s got the form of someone who’s been playing basketball a while, aggressive plays that would make most players panic, but makes all the mistakes of someone who doesn’t know their own strength. Basically, as far as Aomine’s concerned, he has no idea what he’s doing. It occurs to Aomine, that it might be entertaining to cultivate the hidden talent that he’s pretty sure is there and then see what happens, but at the same time, he’s pretty sure Kagami couldn’t beat him no matter how much he improved so it probably isn’t worth the effort.

He’ll admit Kagami’s different though.

Losing might have shut him up, but as embarrassed as he might have felt (and it was plain to see on his face that he was pretty damn embarrassed), Kagami didn’t seem discouraged in the least, and that was… well it was  ** _something_** , Aomine guesses. Not that it even really matters.

“Lazing on the roof again?”

“Satsuki, go bother someone else,” he groans “I’m trying to sleep.”

Momoi ignores his words and sits beside him. “The rest of the first years are pretty interesting, two of them especially. They’re both in your class, Sakurai Ryou’s really good at three pointers, and well you’ve met Kagami already,” she pauses. “I wonder why he’s two days late, according to his records he spent his last year of middle school  ** _here._** You’d think he’d start the school year with the rest of us right?”

It figures that Satsuki’s researching and cataloging him already. He rolls to his side so his back’s facing her. “Isn’t it  ** _your_** job to know that?”

“It is,” is what she says, but _“I was trying to get you to tell me what you think about him”_  is what he hears.

“He’s ok,” he says, because he knows she won’t leave him alone if he didn’t. “Needs some work, but he’s ok.”

He hears her huff (in a way that suspiciously sounds like  _“I thought so”_ ).

“You’re lucky we were just assessing the rest of the freshmen today—“ she says”—or Wakamatsu-senpai would have blown a fuse again”

“Please,” Aomine scoffs “As if I care what _**he**_  thinks, the bastard.”

“You should still come to practice.”

“Should—but won’t.”

“Even if I told you Kagamin is more than he seems?”

He actually turns to look at her at that, an eyebrow raised.

 _“Kaga_ **min** _?”_ he says incredulously.

She has this annoyingly smug look on her face, like she knows something he doesn’t.

“You really should come to practice,” she says, patting his shoulder as she moves to get up. “You might enjoy yourself.”

“Ugh,” he turns back to his side. “Not wasting my time with that.”

 

“See you there!” is all Satsuki says in reply and then she’s closing the door shut.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

The next day Aomine skips morning practice, and isn’t at afternoon practice either.

He’s also missed half their classes after he asked to go to the nurse’s office in the middle of fourth period. Kagami hasn’t known him for that long but he’s pretty sure he’s skipping (cause no way in hell would he be sick). Their team manager—err, Momoi-san— asks him and Sakurai if they knows where he is. Sakurai tells her “He’s in the infirmary, I’m sorry!” while Kagami eyes him trying to figure out why the kid finds it so necessary to apologize about **_everything_**.

“Kagami-kun, would you please go get him? I need to meet with Coach.”

Kagami’s initial reaction is irritation and he makes a face to show it. He’s about to wonder  _“Why me?”_ aloud but remembers that he’s probably the only freshman who isn’t too intimidated to even just  ** _talk_**  to Aomine so he relents (and ok, Momoi just gave him a look, and she’s kind of scary so he doesn’t want to push her buttons).  

He finds Aomine sleeping on one of the infirmary beds.

“Oi wake up, they’re asking for you at practice.”

Aomine doesn’t even twitch, so Kagami tries shaking him.

“Team manag—uh, Momoi-san seems really annoyed, you should really just get your ass down there to the gym.”

Still nothing—this is starting to piss Kagami off.

He shouts “WAKE UP YOU BASTARD!” and kicks the bed so hard Aomine actually falls off.

“WHAT THE FU—“ and he’s awake. Good.

Aomine sits up rubbing the back of his head and sees Kagami standing there glaring at him.

“Are you fucking CRAZY?” he screams “If I got injured, you would have been as good as kicked out of the team you shit!”

Kagami scoffs “Please—“ he crosses his arms “—idiots don’t get injured.”

Aomine looks at him like he’s stupid, “That’s not even—what the fuck are you doing here?”

“Like I said, they’re asking for you at practice.”

Aomine makes a disgusted face “No,” he says getting up and crawling back into bed. “I don’t have time for that, I have plans.”

“What!? All you’re going to do is  ** _nap_**!”

“Exactly.”

Kagami groans, long and exasperated, then starts pulling at Aomine’s uniform. “I’m taking you with me whether you like it or not you bastard.”

Aomine grabs his wrist and glares. Kagami stops moving altogether. Aomine's grip is tight, painfully so. Everything from the hard set of Aomine's jaw to the sharp look in his eyes screams  _“Go away”_  and Kagami doesn’t want to admit it but it's freaking him out. 

“Whatever,” he growls, shaking off Aomine’s grip, turning away in hopes of hiding his discomfort “Don’t blame me if you get scolded.”

Aomine snorts and lays back down on the bed. Kagami lingers for a moment, staring at his own shoes awkwardly, before he stalks away in a huff.

When he gets back to the gym all Momoi-san says about the lack of Aomine is “Oh good, he didn’t punch you,” and nothing else. He feels as if he’s being manipulated into something, but he has no clue what.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Wakamatsu (a center and regular of the team, otherwise known as the tall blond second year who  ** _did_** curse Aomine during Kagami’s first day) is loud pretty much all the time and is as easily pissed off as he is excitable. This Kagami learns after just a week on the Touou basketball team. Aomine hasn’t come to morning practice for all of that week, and has only dropped by once for afternoon practice, and it's not that Kagami particularly cares what the bastard does, but Wakamatsu-sempai has so graciously been loudly reminding them of this fact on a daily basis and it was quite frankly getting extremely annoying. As was his incessant need to loudly comment on a lot of things.

“How is it possible to eat that much!?” Wakamatsu asks Kagami after morning practice, staring incredulously at the pile of sandwiches he bought from the convenience store on the way to school.

They’re all eating their breakfast on the gym's stage. And it is _**way**_ too early for Kagami’s mind to process Japanese as quickly as he ought.

Since “Uhmm” is all he can say with his mouth full anyway, that’s what he does. Wakamatsu continues to look at him like he’s a new wonder of the world. He can see Sakurai gawk at him with great interest from the corner of his eye and he wonders if it really is so surprising that he can eat this much.

“I eat a normal amount” Kagami says after he swallows.

“For a whale maybe—“ Wakamatsu’s nose is scrunching up in mild disgust, but his face continues to show curiosity “—where does it even go?”

Kagami just grunts, what is even the point of these questions? Attempting to veer things away from him and his food he asks “Is Aomine really ok not coming to practice?”

The incredibly loud angry growl (it’s more of a roar really, _**geez**_ , Kagami feels like his eardrums are going to burst) that Wakamatsu releases makes Kagami immediately regret asking that particular question.

“That bastard really gets on my nerves!”

_‘Yeah well, that’s true for a lot of people’_  Kagami thinks.

“He always acts like he’s better than everyone!”

Imayoshi grabs Wakamatsu's shoulder before he can continue on into a tirade. 

“Calm down Wakamatsu” he says, admonishing “It doesn't matter if he's arrogant if he gets results. And anyway, you have to admit he has the right to be high and mighty, Aomine’s…  ** _different_**.”

Kagami thinks that’s a gross understatement but leaves it alone because their captain was probably trying to be vague on purpose. Just saying outright that Aomine  ** _is_** better than all of them in basketball wasn’t going to help anyone. Frankly hearing it out loud from another person would have pissed Kagami off (and he guesses would have pissed off a number of their other players too). 

Especially since Aomine seems to have zero fucks to give.

Aomine seems to think there’s nobody out there who could ever beat him, probably why he thinks he can afford not to give a damn. But Kagami thinks, what a small word Aomine must live in, if he can’t find a single person capable of beating him. Even the best NBA players lose sometimes, because there’ll always be someone stronger, and because they’re human, so they  ** _do_ ** in fact, make mistakes. Kagami refuses to believe Aomine’s basketball is really that perfect.

After Imayoshi’s interruption the gym quiets down to idle chatter as they all finish their breakfast before hitting the showers to get ready for class.

Later at afternoon practice, there is still no sign of Aomine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I have a friend who can speak in Japanese (and lived in Japan for a while), and while watching Kuroko no Basuke together, she commented that the way Kagami talks is extremely rude, and that nobody actually talks like that in real life ever.  
> (2) Just having her call him "coach" felt weird SO
> 
>  
> 
> [EDIT: January 16, 2016 -- Significantly wrote the first part of this chapter, made some minor edits on the rest, mostly Aomine's reactions and how I worded certain things]


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touou!Kagami AU. The challenge that is Touou team Politics may be harder than Kagami initially anticipated (or the Inter-high begins and Aomine is naturally amazing).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> self-editing is so tiring, I spot new mistakes no matter how much I reread... maybe I should get a beta...
> 
> [side note: how does one even write basketball matches omg]

The fact that Aomine was actually present for practice for once should have been Kagami’s first clue. Instead he’d just foolishly assumed that he miraculously felt like practicing for once. The restlessness of the entire team should have been his second clue. But he wasn’t really paying attention.

When they’re called to gather after practice, and Momoi-san and Imayoshi-sempai stand beside him and among the players instead of next to Coach Harasawa, he finally figures out that there’s going to be an important announcement today. And when he sees the jerseys next to coach, piled up neatly on three monoblock chairs, one pile significantly smaller the the others, he realizes just what that announcement is going to be.

It actually completely slipped Kagami’s mind that this was going to happen. He regrets, momentarily, that he didn’t ask about it, but figures that few people here could best him, so he’d definitely be made a starter anyway.

“I’ll be calling the last names of our five starters for our first game,” coach says, “Imayoshi, Susa, Wakamatsu—“ the coach pauses letting Wakamatsu-senpai exclaim a joyful  _“yes!”_ , seemingly expecting the outburst, “—Aomine, and lastly—“

So far all the names called are what Kagami expected. He should get the last slot right?

“Sakurai.”

 _“…what…”_  Kagami thinks, standing still for a moment, thoroughly stunned. When he gets to his senses, he balls his hands into tight fists outraged. He opens his mouth about to question the line-up, but he feels a tug on his wrist and sees Momoi looking at him and shaking her head.

Kagami looks at her, confused at first, then angry  _“Did she know?”_ he thinks _“Is that why she stood beside me? To calm me down!?”_

“We’ll talk once everyone’s gone,” she says, loud enough for only the two of them to hear.

Her stern look stops him for a moment.

He looks to his other side. He sees Sakurai peering at him, trying not to be obvious about it. Their eyes meet, and Sakurai hastily turns away. Kagami hears him mutter  _“I’m sorry,”_ and even if Sakurai apologizes for just about fucking everything, he can feel that this time, he might mean it  _ **more**_.

And while that pisses him off a little, at the same time, he realizes that he doesn’t really want to make a scene about this (anymore than it has already become a scene, Momoi isn’t really being very discreet) and look like a sore loser, so he turns back to Momoi and gives his a short, curt, nod.

Afterwards, when they’re being given their jerseys, receiving his doesn’t make Kagami feel any better. Especially not when Sakurai keeps throwing him a look that’s a mix of fear and guilt, and when Momoi’s staring him down to make sure he doesn’t have any wild reactions.

He never expected that he wouldn’t be able to play, it always seemed like the natural progression of things and… now he really wishes he’d asked about it earlier. He could have  ** _done_** something.

But then again… it’s not as if it  ** _doesn’t_**  make sense that Sakurai is a starter.

Still.

Immediately after coach dismisses them, Momoi turns to Kagami.

“I’ll wait till after you get changed,” she says.

Kagami frowns, but nods. He wonders if she has an entire speech prepared, did she know this would happen and because of that, prepared herself to calm him down? Did Imayoshi or Coach Harasawa put her up to this? The idea makes him feel pathetic, but that’s what it’s looking like. He hasn't exactly kept his temper in check during practice.

Since Coach isn’t the one doing the explaining to him, it means he isn’t quite important enough to the team either. He grits his teeth.

He tries not to let his feelings show in the locker room while he’s changing, but he can’t help the scowl that graces his face after he steps out of the locker room, when he sees Momoi sitting on a bench at the far end of the court.

Kagami’s steps as he walks towards her are sluggish, and he tries not to look at her face cause he knows whatever expression she has on will just piss him off.

When he finally gets there Aomine’s talking to Momoi saying, “I’ll be heading home first then,” and it makes him look.

Momoi has an expression he can't place when she says, “Ok.” It’s—well there’s no word to describe it except sad. But… sad about what?

The look disappears quickly, and Kagami is left to wonder if he just imagined it.

“Ah, Kagami-kun,” Momoi says as she turns to him. “Let’s wait till everyone leaves and then you should walk me home so we can talk.”

Kagami tries not to make a face. “Ok.”

He sits beside her, and they silently wait for the gym to clear out. About a minute after the last guy leaves, she stands up and says “Alright then, lets head out.”

She doesn’t say more till they’re five minutes away from school.

“The truth is, the last spot was really between you and Sakurai—“ she starts, “—but the coach didn’t think you were quite ready yet, and that you need lots of improvement. I thought the same.”

“Bu—“ Kagami starts to object, but Momoi raises a hand to stop him.

“I have a… talent,” she continues. “The data I get on players is very...  _detailed_ , I can even predict how much a player will improve. It’s why I was sort of the ‘insurance’ of the team at Teikou.”

There it is again,  _Teikou_ , as if it’s supposed to mean something to him. Kagami should ask about it later. For the moment, he assumes, from the way Aomine’s kind of a big deal, that this Teikou and this  _“talent”_ of Momoi’s is the real deal.

“I think you have lots of potential, but I also think that something is holding you back,” she looks at him when she says this. “I don’t know what it is, but it feels like it’ll impede on your improvement.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he doesn’t,  _he doesn’t._

Momoi eyes him warily “I think you do, and just refuse to acknowledge it.”

Kagami looks away.

“I’m not saying you should get over it, but you should look for something to motivate you.”

“What I really need—“ Kagami says, obviously irked. “—is to play a  ** _real_** game and prove myself.”

“I thought you’d say that,” she replies with a sigh “And maybe you do but we can’t take a chance with a player who isn’t a sure thing.”

“I’m not a sure thing?” he asks, offended.

“You get angry easily and it affects your performance, sure it doesn’t show as much during practice, but it’ll make our team’s overall performance suffer if it happens during an  ** _r_ _eal_** game. Especially if it’s a game against one of the Generation of Miracles.“

She sees Kagami’s confused look and adds “Aomine’s old teammates in Teikou?”

Kagami grunts. “Everyone keeps saying that like it’s supposed to mean something, ** _Teikou._**  And I hear  _Generation of Miracles_ a lot too but I never know what the hell everyone is talking about and why its such a big deal.” He scowls at his feet.

“Oh,” Momoi actually sounds surprised. “Well, when I found out you had your last year of middle school here I’d thought…” She trails off.

“Well I  ** _don’t_** know.”

She nods. “Uhm well… There was this middle school, which, for three years in a row, won the national championships; that school was Teikou.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and fidgets slightly. “The five starters, plus an unfortunately lesser known sixth man, were called the _‘Generation of Miracles’_. People call them geniuses, which is pretty much spot on. Aomine-kun is called their  _‘ace’_ because he always got the most points. They’re all amazing in their own right, and as you are now, you’d be beaten in a second.”

Kagami grunts. “You didn’t have to add that last part.”

“Yes I did,” she says, laughingly. “You’d have gotten ideas, you seem the type.” She stops walking “Well, this is my stop. Get some sleep, who knows, you might get subbed in tomorrow.” 

“Hnh,” is all Kagami says in reply, and then he waits until she gets in her house before he leaves.

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Kagami’s got a mild headache, and Momoi frowning at him first thing in an already terrible morning is just making it worse.

“You haven’t gotten any sleep,” she says accusingly, arms crossed, left foot tapping incessantly.

All he can muster in reply is “Mmmrghh.”

_“If she knows, she can’t possibly expect me to be coherent right?”_ he thinks, hopeful. She raises an eyebrow at him and he groans.  _“Apparently she does.”_

“I was thinking about what you said and how I could maybe still play today, and it just… kind of… kept me up all night……”

“It’s cute how you can’t sleep when you’re excited but—“

“ ** _Cute_**?”

“—I’m not sure we can sub you in at this rate.”

“ ** _WHAT!?_** But I’m  ** _fine_**!” Kagami leans in “See! Look! Perfectly awake!”

Momoi gives him a quick once over. His eyes are red but he’s not struggling to keep them open at least. His eye bags are distressingly dark, but his body language is screaming that he’s raring to go.

She sighs “Well you’re on time at least…” she peeks at her phone in her pocket “…unlike  ** _some_** people”

Kagami gives her a bewildered look and she waves her hand dismissing the silent inquiry.

“Most of the team’s in the locker room already, go and get settled”

Kagami pauses, eyeing her suspiciously for another moment, before finally nodding and heading off.

Looking at her phone again, she mutters, “Where  ** _are_** you?”

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

When Kagami enters the locker room, he greets the team good morning and promptly proceeds to look around for a spot to place his bag on.  His quick scan of the room however, rather than finding himself a spot, gives him a startling realization instead.

Aomine isn’t here.

_“Strange,”_  he thinks  _“The game’s in a few minutes_."

“Kagami-kun,” and, wow that’s the  ** _Coach_** , Kagami didn’t realize that Coach has never actually directly addressed him until now when he’s disoriented about how strange it is hearing his voice say his name.

“Uhm, yes?” It’s kind of embarrassing how that came out but Kagami’s a little bit confused as to why this is happening and why Aomine isn’t here and—

“Warm-up.”

—and… huh?  _“Does this mean what I think it means.”_

 “I—uh…” Kagami’s rarely been startled into incoherence in his life, he’s getting to play this  ** _early_**? “Yes…..sir.”

Coach nods as if dismissing him, so Kagami starts getting dressed. As he’s adjusting his shorts, he hears Wakamatsu stomping and grumbling about Aomine being a  _“late bastard.”_

He frowns, as a thought sinks in to him  _“I’m only playing because_ **he’s** _not here,”_ and though he  ** _knew_**  he was only going to get to play if something like this happened, now that it's actually happening it leaves him feeling a little…  ** _inadequate_**  (and silly for ever being excited, if he was going to be honest).

_“Whatever,”_ he thinks, shaking his head. _“I’m gonna get to play, that’s all that matters”_

Five minutes later when he’s stretching, Momoi barges into the locker room.

“He replied,” she says, addressing the whole room “He woke up late but he’s on his way, he’ll be here in time for the end of the first quarter.”

“Good” Coach says, and then he turns to Kagami. “Kagami-kun, you’ll play until he arrives.”

The word  _inadequate_  rings in his mind again but he swallows the negative feelings, and nods.

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

His own heart beat is loud in his ears and he feels his pulse all throughout his body. It’s a bad sign. He’s probably pushing it, over pacing himself. He doesn’t care.

Just a few minutes left— _ **just a few minutes**  _till that bastard gets here and he gets subbed out.

He’s going to damn well make the best of it.

The game started just three minutes ago but they’re already twelve points ahead: a three pointer from Imayoshi, a two from Susa, two threes from Sakurai, a dunk from Wakamatsu, and two dunks and a layup from Kagami.

Their opponents don’t stand a chance.

When Kagami first joined the team he’d thought that the regulars were pretty damn good, and playing alongside them now, he’s sure of it.

This team’s offensive power is  ** _insane_**.

They’ve been in possession of the ball almost the entire game so far. It helps that Imayoshi’s a good captain; he’s smart, allows everyone to do their own thing but tempers everyone as subtly as possible.

The challenge in this team, he realizes, won’t (just) be playing against other teams. In fact that might be the least of his worries. Judging by his current status on the team, his bigger challenge is definitely climbing up the ranks.

So right now, in his limited time to shine, he doesn’t give a  ** _shit_** if he looks like a selfish player. He’s just going to do his thing, get so far ahead that when Aomine does finally show up, he’ll see they don’t really need him.

_“I can_ **do this,** ” he repeats in his head like a mantra.

Wakamatsu gets a defensive rebound, passes it to Susa, who passes it to Sakurai who gets yet another three pointer, screaming “I’m sorry!” - thoroughly distracting their opponents while simultaneously kicking their ass.

Kagami has to hand it to the kid, there’s definitely a good reason he was made a starter. Kind of annoying that he’s effectively scored more points than him now but heck nothing he can’t fix.

Ball’s in their possession again pretty quickly, and Kagami takes advantage of it. He dunks again, just ramming the ball in there as hard as he can. He gets a foul in the process but it’s not like he’s going to stay long enough in the game for that to really matter.

He’s wiping his sweat away with his jersey when he hears loud murmurs from the crowd and a “fucking finally” from Wakamatsu.

Coach calls for a time out. Kagami turns towards where he is to protest, thinking that the time out was called because of his foul, but then he sees him.

Aomine, all suited up and ready to go.

“Good job,” Aomine says mockingly as Kagami approaches the bench.

Kagami glares at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a verbal reply.

Aomine smirks at him. “Sit tight and watch how a big boy plays.”

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Sixty points, sixty  ** _fucking_** points.That’s how much Aomine scored in the game.

Kagami gets, much to his frustration, why everyone just allows Aomine to do whatever he wants. He doesn’t just get results, he gets  ** _damn good_** results. And while, something just doesn’t sit right with him (like how he can’t decide if their opponents were actually trying less after Aomine arrived, or if Aomine is just that good), he has to admit, that it has yet again been affirmed, that Aomine is the real deal.

He’s not going to become a starter at this rate, not unless he works his butt off to do something about it. 

The only way up is to be the best at what you do.

It’s the basic rule of thumb of the Touou basketball team. Well, if you could call them that, what with how individualistic their plays usually are.

“You know,” Kagami says solemnly, as they’re dressing to leave in the locker room. “It doesn’t really feel like we’re a team.”

Sakurai, who he’d directed the statement at, is gaping at him, as if he was unsure if Kagami was really talking to  ** _him._** Looking around, and deciding Kagami couldn’t be talking to anyone else (because he barely ever did anyway). Sakurai cautiously answers, “Uhm, yeah…” and in a smaller voice, “I’m sorry…”

Kagami’s about to flat-out ask him  _“Why the heck do you keep apologizing?”_  when Sakurai adds “Ah, but it doesn’t feel like we’ll lose—“ he shrugs. “—I know I don’t really have anything to base this on but…yeah...”

Kagami nods in agreement.

“No, I get it,” he says, and it pisses him off that Aomine crosses his mind.

 

 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

Sakurai’s bento is a wonder. The beef patties were made to look like a bear, the sausages like octopuses, heck even the diced potatoes and cherry tomatoes had a HEART sticking out of them. It was the cutesiest meal Kagami has ever seen.

He’s looking at it with mild amazement as he eats his own convenience store bought bento, and wonders, if all that cutesy food tastes as good as they look.

Wakamatsu, who seems to be on the same wavelength as Kagami on the matter, leans in to look at Sakurai’s bento properly.

“Wow that… uh that’s cute,” he says looking kind of confused.

“Huh?” Sakurai replies between chews.

“Did you take your little sister’s by mistake?” Ok maybe he wasn’t on the same wavelength as Kagami. A good question though, and it makes Kagami lean in a little to hear Sakurai’s answer.

Sakurai looks a little beet sheepish when he says, “Oh, I’m sorry! But uh, I made it myself so I doubt I’d—“

“You made it yourself!?”

Sakurai seems taken aback at Wakamatsu’s surprise, but before he can reply, a new voice cuts in.

“Hey, that looks good,” and then suddenly there’s a hand reaching for Sakurai’s sausages, making both him and Wakamatsu jump.

Kagami looks up to see Aomine eating a sausage and looming over a now very nervous looking Sakurai.

“Aomine,” says Wakamatsu, in a surprisingly tame voice.

Aomine looks up, as if seeing him just for the first time “Oh, hey,” he says offhandedly, sausage sticking out of his mouth.

“Where have you been?” Wakamatsu demands. “You can’t just skip practice for no reason! You’re coming to practice this afternoon right?”

Aomine laughs. “You  ** _can’t_**  be serious” he says, then turns to Sakurai and starts picking at his bento again. “Hey that was good. Gimme the rest of it.”

Poor Sakurai looks nervous and more than a little frightened. “Huh? But this is…”

“Huh?” Aomine’s voice and expression are both clearly irked.

Sakurai jumps again, then looks away. “I’m sorry! Uh, go ahead…”

And while Aomine takes this as cue to further invade Sakurai’s personal space, Wakamatsu’s face flares up in anger. He looks like he’s about to shout, but Kagami cuts in.

“Hey,” he says loudly, glaring at Aomine.

Aomine turns to him, looks at him with a bored look and a raised eyebrow.

“If you want your own bento you should just buy your own.”

“Huh?” Aomine stands straight “That shit isn’t as good as this.” He pops another sausage into his mouth

“Why you—“

“It’s ok Kagami-kun,” Sakurai hurriedly cuts in “—uhm, I’ll just try making more from now on…”

“Oh really?” Aomine says, annoyingly delighted.

“Don’t!” both Kagami and Wakamatsu shout.

“Ugh, would you both just shut—“

“ _ **I’ll**  _make your bento.”

“—huh?”

Everyone’s looking at Kagami like he’s gone insane, and maybe he has, but Aomine is clearly not going to bring food on his own, and Sakurai was clearly going to allow himself to be bullied into making him a bento. So better that  ** _he_**  step up because at least he’s going to call Aomine on  _ **some**_  of his bullshit.

“Kagami  ** _don’t,_** ” Wakamatsu says seriously, grabbing him by the shoulders.

Kagami keeps his gaze level.

He doesn’t see the point in fighting the system like Wakamatsu does, especially when a player like Aomine sits on top of it. It pisses him off that the guy’s high and mighty sure, but they’re three games into the Inter-high preliminaries, so he’s seen firsthand what the bastard can do. It’s obvious to him he’s not going to get anywhere by just screaming in protest. Besides—he hates to admit it, but sometimes… sometimes Aomine scares him. He can’t  ** _really_** talk back right now, especially not when he’s still so fucking weak in comparison.

Aomine chuckles. “Alright, let’s see if your bento’s any good tomorrow at lunch.” He jumps down from the stage where everyone’s been eating. “Now if you excuse me I’m going to go read my Horikita Mai-chan book, so I’m gonna be off,” he waves. “Practice hard.”

“Wait Aomine!” releasing Kagami, Wakamatsu runs to intercept Aomine’s path.

Immediately Kagami knows this is a bad idea, and based on the alarmed look on Sakurai’s face, it seems he thinks so too.

Wakamatsu grabs the front of Aomine’s shirt. “Enough already! I’m telling you now,  ** _go to practice!_** ”

Aomine looks at him, and… it’s that look. The one that silenced Kagami for a moment during their one-on-one, the one that made him leave Aomine in the infirmary, it’s… there’s something there that Kagami can’t explain, an intensity that’s beyond just an aura of someone who can and is used to succeeding, almost as if Aomine thinks himself a god of basketball. But that isn’t quite right either, it’s as if… he’s angry, like  ** _really_** angry about something, he doesn’t know what. Ugh this guy’s making Kagami’s head ache.

“I’ll forgive you once,” Aomine says, low, monotonous, his voice distressingly tight. “Let me go.”

“Wh—“ Wakamatsu doubles over as Aomine knees him in the stomach.

The action makes Imayoshi and Susa stand in alarm, most of the others are just looking on in shock, Kagami included.

“Aomine!” Imayoshi shouts, trying to reproach him.

“I told him I’d do it,” says Aomine, as if it’s no big deal. He starts walking towards the basketballs laying around near one of the rings they use for practice. “Practice,  ** _practice,_** ” he scoffs “Don’t make me laugh!”

He sets down his book, then stands up and shouts, “Ryou!”

_‘First name basis so soon?’_  Kagami grimaces,  _‘He’s a presumptuous bastard too.’_

“How many points did I score last game?” Aomine asks, sounding almost playful.

“Huh?” Sakurai pauses a second. “Uh, 82 points.”

And then, as if on cue, Aomine runs towards the basket, dribbling of course,  _ **ridiculously**_  fast as usual, and he dunks so hard the ring breaks off from the backboard.

The sound of it breaking echoes throughout the now quiet gymnasium.

The expressions on the team’s faces are varying: panic, surprise,  ** _disappointment_**. But they are all commonly quiet, which makes Aomine’s laugh louder in Kagami's ears, more sinister.

“Oh? I did it again.” That’s the third one if Kagami remembers right, Aomine’s been going to practice at least once a week since the preliminaries have started,  and each time he’s broken a ring.

Aomine continues laughing.

Beside him, Kagami hears Sakurai gulp.

Aomine looks at them, grinning, and exclaims, “I don’t think you can practice with this thing!”

It sounds like he’s mocking them all.

“Uh… what was I trying to say again?” Aomine asks himself “Oh right,” he throws the ring aside.

“You can talk to me once you’re better than me.” He says, picking up his book “Not that you’ll ever be.”

And with that he turns around and walks out of the gym.

Imayoshi approaches Wakamatsu who’s still doubled over, as the rest of them stare at Aomine’s wake.

“Are you ok Wakamatsu? Sorry about that.”

“Why are you apologizing Captain!?”

Imayoshi smiles at him. “You’re not wrong, but don’t say anything else to Aomine. Meritocracies are hardly unusual.”

“BUT—!”

“Do you know the golfer Tiger Woods?” Imayoshi asks, turning to give Aomine’s back one last look, as he disappears through the exit.

“Huh?” Wakamatsu is so stunned by the question that his frustration dissolves.

“What about Shaq?”

“Uhm, you mean Shaquille O’Neal?”

“Yup. Tiger won a lot of games by hitting the ball too far, so they extended the course and added regulations to keep him from driving so far. Shaq, too. He was too strong so there was a drastic increase of rough play just to stop him. That’s why they made the no-charge zone, so offense wouldn’t be charged with fouls. _”_ He pats Wakamatsu on the shoulder. “Our freshmen over there have the right idea, you shouldn’t go too far with Aomine. In the world of sports, sometimes when a single player is too strong, they change the rules. They’re not common, but they really do exist. They’re unfairly strong,  ** _monsters_**  if you will _._ ”

_“Huh,”_  Kagami thinks  _“Spot on.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As many of you might have noticed, the last part of this chapter is actually a variation of a scene from canon, I used the anime (E15, HorribleSubs ver) dialogue but edited them as was necessary. Anyway, I want to take this time to ask for some comments, I’d like to know what you guys think of it so far, is the characterization ok? Does the flow of events make sense so far? etc. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami makes Aomine a bento, stuff happens (and Kagami's not too happy about it).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.

“Here’s your bento,” Kagami pulls his seat, placing it in front of Aomine’s desk. He sets down his homemade lunch as he sits himself across of him. “I forgot to ask what you liked so I just made whatever.”

“I’ll eat anything,” Aomine says as he opens his bento. “Croquettes. What kind?”

“Chicken.”

Aomine frowns. “For future reference I prefer beef.”

Kagami thinks he’s popping a vein. "I thought you just said you ate everything?"

Aomine shrugs, pops a croquette into his mouth. “This is good,” he says, surprised.

Kagami huffs. “Of course it is.”

Aomine audibly swallows his food and inspects his bento further. “This all looks great, but didn’t you make too much?”

“If you can’t finish it all I’ll eat them for you.” Kagami says, as he sets down his own bento onto Aomine’s desk. “I ate some of mine after morning practice so I probably won’t have enough anymore.”

“Just what kind of food monster **_are_**  you,” Aomine says, lips curling in obvious disgust.

Kagami finds it infuriating.

“Shut up,” he growls “ ** _You’re_**  the one who was bullying Sakurai into making you a bento.”

Aomine snorts. “I wasn’t bullying anyone.”

 _“This guy’s not even self-aware is he,”_  Kagami thinks, clenching his jaw.

“Yes,” he says, through gritted teeth. “You were.”

Rolling his eyes Aomine simply replies with “Whatever,” and continues eating.

Kagami scowls at him for about a minute more before deciding he shouldn’t waste his time with the guy and should just start eating his own lunch. Glancing to his left, he sees Sakurai looking at them with what seems to be a mix of interest and horror. And he doesn’t seem to be the only one.

Everyone in class is gawking at them in much the same way.

Some of them look away when they see Kagami narrowing his eyes at them, but a lot of them are just openly staring. Kagami doesn’t know what the big deal is but apparently what they’re doing right now is strange enough to warrant this.

“Why are people staring…” He mutters.

“It’s probably because you have so much food” Aomine replies in between chews.

“It’s not like this is the first time they’ve seen me eat like this.” Kagami huffs. “It must be because I’m hanging around you.”

 “…Why would that make them stare at us?”

“Well… you’re  ** _you_**.”

“Are you stupid? That’s not an answer.”

“Of course it is Mr. I’m-a-Big-Deal.”

“Nobody calls me that.”

“That’s not the point!”

“What? How is it— You know what never mind,” Aomine points at his bento with his chopsticks. “Talking with you is tiring so I’m just gonna eat.”

Kagami’s about to protest but Aomine seems bent on ignoring him for the rest of lunch period, so all he ends up saying is “Fine,” before resuming with his own meal.

Their classmates don’t stop watching them.

It’s… unnerving.

Kagami’s pretty sure he was right in saying its Aomine’s fault. He remembers the first time he ate lunch in their classroom, tons of people did a double take, one or two even asked him about how much he normally ate. But after a week they were pretty much used to it. He hasn’t gotten attention again until today, and the only thing different about today is that he’s eating with Aomine.

“Knock, knock!” Momoi’s voice is perky, and there’s a skip in her step as she walks into their classroom. “Oh, hello Sakurai-kun,” she says cheerfully as she passes him by. Kagami notices that everyone is gawking at  _her_ now.

“I hear you made Aomine-kun lunch, Kagami-kun,” she says cheerfully as she parks herself next to Aomine’s desk.

“Uh…” Kagami hopes it isn’t too pathetic (or obvious on his face) that he thinks her smile right now is just a _little_ bit scary. “…yeah…”

“It’s actually pretty good!” Aomine says, sounding mildly surprised.

 _"It's really good to know he had so much confidence in me,"_ Kagami thinks, rolling his eyes.

“Oh?” Momoi positions her hand above a tempura in Kagami’s bento. “May I?”

 _“Why are you so happy!?”_  Kagami wants to shout, “Sure” he says instead.

Momoi helps herself and her face lights up on her first chew.

“You’re right, it’s great!” she says, excitedly turning to Aomine.

“ ** _Right_**?” Aomine replies, as if  _he_ was the one who cooked the bento.

“You should do something for Kagami-kun in return.”

“ ** _Huh_**?” It’s clear from the look on Aomine’s face, that he believes that to be the worst idea on earth. “Why would I have to do that? He  ** _volunteered_** , I didn’t ask him to do anything.”

“Exactly!” Momoi huffs. “Kagami-kun is doing this out of the goodness of his heart, you should repay him!”

“Whaaat, are you kidding me?” Aomine looks really,  _really_ against the idea.

If Momoi is asking for a heartfelt thank you gesture, Kagami thinks she’s asking the wrong person.

“Aomine-kun,” Momoi says admonishingly, before turning to Kagami and saying. “Go on Kagami-kun ask for anything.”

He pauses for a moment, unsure what to say. He then settles for the first thing that comes to mind.

“How about we have one-on-ones this Saturday?”

“That’s a great idea!” Momoi exclaims.

“What? That’s boring!” Aomine whines. “You’re just going to lose all the time.”

“I will not!” A baseless assumption, he knows, but still.

Momoi loudly claps her hands together and says. “In any case it’s settled,” then, looking at Aomine, she pointedly adds. “See you  _both_  at afternoon practice.”

She leaves before Aomine can protest, so he’s left scowling in her wake.

“Aren’t you going to finish those?” Kagami asks.

Aomine glares at him before he starts eating again.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Did you really make Aomine a bento?” Wakamatsu asks Kagami at afternoon practice, while he’s busy practicing to shoot three pointers. “Sakurai said you did, but I wanted to be  ** _completely_** sure.”

Kagami raises an eyebrow “Couldn't you have asked Aomine?”

“He doesn’t like me.”

“You mean  ** _you_  **don’t like  ** _him._** _”_

“It’s the same thing!”

 _“It’s really not."_  Kagami thinks.

“Look just answer the question.” Wakamatsu says impatiently.

Kagami sighs, dribbles a ball. “Yeah, I made him one.”

“And you ate lunch with him?”

He takes position— “Yeah” —and shoots.

Wakamatsu’s quiet for a moment. Kagami makes a few more shots, misses most of them. He really needs to work on his three pointers.

“Why do you put up with him?” The question throws Kagami off and he misses more terribly than usual.

Is that what it looks like? That he’s putting up with Aomine?

“I’m not letting him have  ** _everything_** he wants,” he replies. “I mean he doesn’t have the right to be an asshole, let’s be clear, but I also don’t think I have the right to call him on it so much… ** _yet_**. Like he said, we can talk once we’re better than him. We just sound like sore losers otherwise.” He grunts "I mean imagine what we'd look like, constantly insulting him but relying on him once we're on court. Best thing to do is to go at it till **_he_** depends on me too."

There’s more silence after that. It lasts so long Kagami actually has to check if Wakamatsu just up and left him there.

He hasn't. Instead he's looking at Kagami like he's grown another head. 

“What?” Kagami asks, uneasy.

“You think you can beat him?” Wakamatsu says, deathly serious, voice uncharacteristically soft.

“Well not if I just stop trying,” he huffs. “I’ll accept he’s pretty amazing, but not that he’s the best, and that’s that.”

“Nobody else on this team seems to think so,” Wakamatsu grumbles “even Captain runs on the assumption that Aomine can’t be beat.”

Kagami snorts. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Hah, I think so too.” Wakamatsu’s face turns a little sad. “But you know, back in middle school, they really  ** _were_** something, the Generation of Miracles I mean.” He grunts. “It’s annoying, but a lot of people really did stop trying. Everyone just thought,  _‘we can’t win, what’s the point?.’_ Sad part is I can't really blame them for it.”

Kagami frowns. “But it’s _**better**_  if you can’t win.”

“Huh?” Wakamatsu gives him a bewildered look.

He shrugs. “I thought I’d jumped the gun when I came back here to play, but when Aomine beat me in that one-on-one, as embarrassed and pissed off as I felt… to be honest I also found it encouraging. I mean, life is all about challenges right? No point in living if there isn’t anyone strong to play, it’s  ** _better_  **if I can’t win.”

Wakamatsu actually  _laughs_  and the sound is so startling (because of its  _rarity_ ) that everyone in the gym turns to look at them.

“You’re weird,” he says, between chuckles. “But I’ll support you.”

Kagami guesses that means he’s found an ally, but he’s not quite sure for what.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Momoi’s the one who sets everything up, the time, the place, she even offers to play referee, and wheedles Kagami into making a bento for all three of them (after Aomine vehemently rejects her suggestion of cooking food for them herself). Kagami detests that he has to get up early on a Saturday to finish up making three lunches, but he’s going to get to play one-on-one with Aomine, and that’s decidedly a good thing. He brings a really big jug of iced water (because he’s pretty sure he’s going to have to share), and along with the lunches, basketball, and extra clothes, it’s a lot to lug along during a commute. Despite this, he actually makes it early to their assigned meeting place.

When he arrives Momoi is already there. She waves at him and gestures towards the space next to her on a bench.

“You’re early,” he says, as he sets down his things.

“So are you,” she replies cheerfully. “And you’ve brought a lot of things along.”

“Your fault by the way.”

“Hey,” she pouts. “I offered to cook, but Aomine-kun rejected me!”

“Yeah, why is that?” he looks at her, thoughtful.

“I don’t know,” she shrugs “I don’t think my cooking’s  _that_  bad.”

“Wait—so it’s  _bad._ ” Momoi slaps his back so hard he almost falls forward.

“Mean!” She admonishes, as Kagami shouts, “Ow!”

“That hurt!” he complains. “ ** _You_** were the one who said it!”

She huffs. “You’re not allowed to repeat it!”

“Erggh…” there was no use fighting back here, Kagami concludes. “I should warm up.”

He pulls out his basketball from its bag and heads for the side of the court directly in front of them. He does stretches for about five minutes before starting off with a dunk.

Minutes pass with just him playing by himself and Momoi silently looking on.

Then, half-way into a jump shot, he hears Momoi growl in frustration and sees her eyeing her cellphone like it’s the bane of her existence.

“What’s wrong?” he asks as he comes down from his jump.

“He’s not replying and it’s already thirty minutes past our meet up time!” she responds testily, mashing the buttons of her phone.

 _“It is?”_  Kagami walks towards the bench to check his own phone, and to grab a towel.

“Huh, you’re right,” he shrugs, wipes sweat off his face. “Isn’t this just like him though?”

She glares at him. “That’s the  _problem_!”

He slinks back a bit before he says, “Uh, why don’t you message him?”

“I’ve been doing that!” she groans. “But he hasn’t been replying  _at all.”_

“Uhm…” he doesn’t really know how to appease her. “Err, want to eat some rice balls while we wait? I made a lot so…”

Momoi glares at her phone for a few seconds more before turning to Kagami with an apologetic smile.

“Sure,” she says.

He nods, relieved, and then pulls out a large Tupperware from his bag. He hands it to Momoi and says, “Here, take as much as you want, leave some for lunch though.”

Momoi mutters a thanks as she receives the container.

Kagami takes one to munch on, before standing once again. “I’m just gonna play on my own some more. Don’t worry he’ll come.”

Momoi nods, and starts eating a rice ball, dejectedly.

Kagami starts regretting making plain ones for some reason but shakes the thought off, it’s not his problem Momoi’s upset that Aomine’s being Aomine. He’d heard they were childhood friends, she should know he’s like this right? Kagami barely knows the guy but he already expected this of him. It’s kind of annoying, but what could he do. He’ll just give the bastard a piece his mind when he gets here later.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Two hours pass, and Aomine still hasn’t arrived, nor has he replied to any messages. Momoi looks like she’s about to cry, and Kagami doesn’t really know what to do about it. He offers her lunch to cheer her up and she practically attacks it, her expression so very upset as she loudly grumbles about Aomine nonstop.

“Who does he think he  _is_ that  _Ahomine_ —“she growls. “—you make him lunch and then he does this! That ungrateful moron! How could he stand us up! How could he not even reply to my texts how could he—arggghhh.”

She stuffs herself with food aggressively, while Kagami just slowly munches his own food as he stares at her uncomfortably.

“I just—“ she covers her face with her hands and screams into them. Then she stills, and hiccups.

Kagami panics, thinks  _“Oh_ **shit,** _is she_ **crying** _?” ,_  then accidentally lets go of his chopsticks when he tries to reach a hand out to pat Momoi’s shoulder. He hesitates, leaving his hand awkwardly in the air touching nothing.

When Momoi finally removes her hands from her face, Kagami sees tears rolling down her cheeks.

He doesn’t know what to do.

“Dai-chan hates meeeeeeeeeeee,” she sobs.

Kagami’s confused about who  _“Dai-chan”_ is for a moment before he remembers Aomine’s first name is Daiki.

“I don’t think he  _hates_  you,” he tries to say comfortingly, but she only cries louder as she tackle hugs him.

“Kagamiiiiiinnnn,” she whines, and ok, she’s calling him nicknames now, this might mean it's bad?

_"Shit I don't know what I'm doing."_

“Uhm, there, there…” He awkwardly pats her back.

It occurs to him he should probably be upset too, but it’s kind of hard to be pissed off when Momoi’s  _this_ upset.

“It’s not your fault he’s an asshole,” he says, more firmly this time. “Just make him regret it on Monday.”

Momoi pulls away from him, still sniffling, but with a determined look on her face. “Oh I  _will_!”

“What’s his deal anyway? He’s so—“ Kagami waves his hand around. “ I dunno,  _out there,_  I guess. Like he doesn’t give a shit about anything, or he’s angry about everything….  ** _something_**.”

Momoi sighs. “It’s a long story… but I guess you’ve got all day don’t you?”

Kagami shrugs.

She takes a deep breath, “Well then.”

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kagami likes the idea of the old Aomine. Momoi said she couldn't give him all the details, but the way she'd described this ‘old Aomine’ (‘ _He was_ _just like you Kagamin!')_  made him seem like... well, a pretty great sorta guy. (It might sound a little vain of him to even think that though.) Kagami can’t see much of that guy at all in the Aomine now. Momoi seems to think the old Aomine is still there somewhere, and they just have to work hard to bring him back, but Kagami really has a hard time picturing how on earth the old Aomine could possibly be somewhere beneath all that assholiness, let alone come back. The latter is mostly because it seems the best way to bring the old Aomine back is to prove to him that he _**can**_ lose, and rather begrudgingly, it’s come to a point that he has a hard time picturing Aomine losing, at least not against anyone in Japan (and if he’s going to be honest, even in most places beyond it).

It leaves him at the loss on what to do with the information he’d just been given. He was the one who asked, and Momoi was extremely vague about a lot of things, but he still feels like he’s been let into something he shouldn't ever meddle with. It seems like an extremely personal matter, and Momoi passive aggressively trying to get him involved (at least he thinks that’s what she’s doing, if her eagerness at the prospect of him hanging out in Aomine means anything at all) isn't a license to just dip his fingers into it.

To begin with, while he doesn’t exactly sympathize with Aomine (because there was never a lack of good challenges in America and losing isn’t exactly something Kagami’s unfamiliar with) he’s not sure he can blame him for reacting the way he did. The guy is still an asshole though, not least because he failed to show up and left Kagami awkwardly trying to comfort an initially annoyed, then devastated, then positively enraged Momoi.

Not exactly what he had in mind for his Saturday.

Sunday night, Momoi texts him, asking if he’s going to make Aomine a bento on Monday. He stares at the text for a good minute, and hesitates before replying.

 _“Should I?”_  he thinks to himself.

On one hand, Aomine really doesn’t deserve it. On the other hand, that Momoi is even asking means she’s expecting that he’ll make one despite that fact. And Kagami assumes, from the smiling emoticon in her text, that she approves of this.

 _“Definitely trying to get me involved,”_  he thinks, frowning.

He texts her back a maybe, and decides to sit on the question overnight.

When he wakes up early the next day, that is pretty much that. Since he has time, he thinks he might as well make the damn bento. Kagami also figures that feeding Aomine will let him get away with snapping at him (not that he thinks Aomine has the heart to break school rules with violence in front of so many people who  _don’t_  need him like the basketball team does, but the assurance of no confrontation is nice nonetheless).

He arrives at school for morning practice earlier than usual. The only people there are the handful of freshmen who haven’t completely given up (it was actually pretty discouraging, although not very surprising, that the initial overwhelming number of hard-working freshmen dwindled pretty quickly), and the regulars, Aomine included, much to Kagami’s surprise. 

Kagami decides to approach Aomine before going into the locker room to deposit his things. He makes sure his stride looks purposeful, and he tries to mask his growing irritation with determination. He’s vaguely aware of the fact that people have started staring at him. But their intrigue or panic doesn’t interest him, he told himself he’d give Aomine a piece of his mind, and so he damn well will. When he gets there, Aomine’s bent over, stretching, unaware of his presence.

“Hey,” he says, loud enough to echo in the sparsely occupied gymnasium.

As Aomine stands up straight his expression visibly goes from mildly irritated, to bored.

“Oh,” he says, annoyingly disinterested, his eyes flit towards the  _furoshiki_  wrapped (1) bentos Kagami’s carrying. “That for me?”

Kagami ignores the question. “Why didn’t you show up the other day?” he asks in a tight voice. He's angrier than he thought he was.

“Huuuh?” Aomine looks disappointed at that, he throws his head back slightly to the right, and keeps his gaze away from Kagami, now obviously thoroughly uninterested in this conversation. “Satsuki already yelled my ear off about that, fucking let it go already.”

Kagami grits his teeth. “Why didn’t you show up the other day?” he asks again.

Aomine clicks his tongue, then looks Kagami squarely in the eye, scowl now on his face. “Let it go, Taiga.”

The use of his first name sets Kagami off, he almost moves to punch Aomine, but is then reminded of just how bad an idea that would be when he hears Imayoshi scream his name. He stops himself, clenches his jaw and glares at Aomine as menacingly as he can.

“Fuck you, you’re not getting any bento” he says.

He makes an abortive move to stalk off to the locker room when Aomine replies, “Fine then, Ryou’ll give me some bento, right Ryou!?”

Sakurai audibly squeaks before stuttering. “Uh—uhm—I—!”

Kagami growls, “Sakurai DON’T YOU DARE.”

Sakurai frantically looks back and forth between the two of them, as if unsure of who he should be scared of more.

For a moment, Kagami considers the irony of the situation. He’d been on Aomine’s case about bullying Sakurai, yet here he was, essentially bullying the kid into not allowing himself to get bullied. It’s simultaneously infuriating and hilarious, and Kagami almost laughs at how ridiculous the situation has become.

“You know what?” he exclaims, in a pitch slightly higher than his normal speaking voice. “Fuck it” he crouches down to unfurl the  _furoshiki_ , pulls out a bento, then pushes it towards Aomine. “Here’s your stupid fucking lunch asshole, I hope you choke on it.”

Kagami then proceeds to tying back the  _furoshiki_ too tight, stomping his feet as loud as humanly possible on his way to the locker rooms, and slamming the door in a way that clearly said he didn’t want to talk to anyone.

 _“That_ **bastard** ,” Kagami growls as he flings his clothes around, haphazardly getting dressed for practice. His mind is racing with jumbled thoughts of _“I’ve had it with Aomine’s stuck-up insensitive attitude._ ” and  _"Did that ‘old Aomine’ Momoi talked about even really exist?”._ _“Fuck Aomine for being an asshole.”_ he thinks,  _“Fuck this team for bending over for him.”_

He sits on one of the benches, head in one hand, shirt on the other “ _Fuck_ **ME**   _for ever bending over for him._ _Wakamatsu was right, I_ **WAS** _putting up with him”_

Staring forward he wonders why he only got angry about this now. Had he been denial? Was he that much of a fool? Was it a misguided effort to fit in? He wants to be part of the team but he doesn't want _ **this**_. He just wished he knew what to do about it.

Kagami tugs his shirt on then stands to slam his locker shut, "I'm a fucking idiot" he mutters to himself. He growls, letting it evolve into a frustrated shout, slamming his fist on the nearest wall. He almost does it a second time but is stopped by the sound of a yelp not too far away from him. He turns sharply, scowl still firmly in place.

Sakurai is there by the door, looking uncomfortable in his own skin as usual, but also looking as if he had something to say to him for once. He’d probably been sent to calm Kagami down.

“Uhm…” Sakurai starts, a little less nervous than Kagami had expected “… Imayoshi-senpai sent me to check if you’d thrashed the place…”

Kagami grunts “Well I haven’t.” He grabs a towel and his water bottle, and starts moving to leave the locker room.

“Uhm!” Sakurai exclaims, stopping Kagami in his tracks.

He looks at him, an eyebrow raised, expression expectant.

“Uh—“ Sakurai scratches the back of his neck, looks at his shoes. “—Thank you…”

“For what?”

He looks mildly startled that Kagami doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he fidgets in place a bit more before saying. “For sticking up for me…”

Kagami scoffs. “I wasn’t really.”

Sakurai doesn’t say anything in reply but gives he smiles at him. It was just a slight upward turn of the edges of his lips, but still, it was a smile, and it occurs to Kagami that he hasn’t actually seen him do that until now.

“Thank you anyway,” Sakurai says finally. “Do you want help making Aomine’s bento?”

Kagami’s surprised this offer is even being made, and that Sakurai isn’t being at all meek. But, he guesses, Sakurai was probably never meek to begin with, just extremely uncomfortable with people with the intensity of a wild animal. 

“Nah,” he says. “Not right now at least, I might take you up on that offer some other time though.”

Sakurai nods, smile still on his face, and they head out to practice together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) furoshiki: large cloth customarily used to wrap bento


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami starts extra training and bonds with Sakurai, meanwhile Momoi continues to be awesome. Basically.

Kagami doesn't precisely _**avoid**_ Aomine after what the team now calls his  _'screaming incident'_ , but he does make a point to pretend he's a nonentity, which is difficult considering they're seated next to each other in class. He still makes him lunch but he just dumps the bento onto Aomine's desk (no words, no eye contact, no nothing) before dragging his chair towards Sakurai's desk.

Inevitably, there's gossip flying behind their backs.

Kagami doesn't really care, but Sakurai seems unnerved by the inquisitive looks they're getting. He feels a little guilty about that, but then again, it would have been worse if he'd just sat alone, because he'd have been glaring at everyone (and would have gotten himself riled up) instead of what he's doing now, which is trying to make casual conversation with Sakurai while pretending that Aomine isn't there. 

Aomine on his part just busies himself with the food and napping. In other words, he's pretty much the same as usual and is acting as if nothing happened, which really kind of pisses Kagami off, but he can't exactly snap at someone he's ignoring. So instead he focuses on Sakurai, who, now that he thinks about it, can help him with another dilemma of his that he's been trying to work on for a while.

"I've been practicing three-pointers lately," Kagami says in between chews. "I don't know why but I just can't get them right."

"Uhm…" Sakurai considers the statement for a moment before asking. "Are you sure your toes are pointing towards the basket when you shoot?"

Kagami frowns. "I think so? I'm not sure, sometimes I don't think about it."

Sakurai opens his mouth to say something, but then visibly hesitates.

"Look," Kagami sighs. "Don't be afraid of me, if what you've got to say is going to improve the way I play I'm going to listen." And when Sakurai gives him a nervous look in reply he adds, "But if you don't spit it out, I  _will_  get angry."

Sakurai nods still looking a bit uncomfortable. "Well, uhm, if your toes  _aren't_ pointing towards the basket, your form wouldn't even be right so, uhm, it'll be pretty hard to make the shots. Uh, basics, you know?"

Kagami thinks on that for a moment. "Does my form really look that bad?"

"No, but, uhm, from what I've seen it feels like something's missing? Uhm, I could be wrong and it isn't your form, uh, are you sure you're stepping in with your stronger foot first? That helps a lot."

"I—hmm." Kagami pauses. "I guess I don't, I mean I usually use my left leg for most of my jumps since I can use my right hand better than my left. Maybe I should do something about _that_ too…." He looks at the chopsticks he's gripping in his right hand, frowns, then transfers them to his left.

" _Might as well start now,"_  he thinks, and tries to eat some gyoza but utterly fails at picking one up.

"Pfft—" Kagami looks up at the sound and sees Sakurai desperately trying to stifle a laugh.

"I'm sorry," Sakurai says, voice a little strained.

Kagami frowns at him. He then attempts once again to pick up a gyoza again…. and fails.

"Arggghhh," he growls in frustration. "I AM GOING TO GET THIS RIGHT."

And as if his determination transferred over to his chopsticks, he successfully brings one to his mouth.

"See!" He smirks at Sakurai "Got it right!"

Sakurai nods, amused look on his face. "Uhm, maybe you should talk to coach, if you want to know how to improve your shots, I'm sure he'll have better insight for you…"

"I'm planning to, but coach is kind of…" Kagami taps his desk. "I dunno, uh  _distant_? Uh, no, that's not right really, maybe a little unapproachable, to me at least," He grunts. "Sometimes I feel as if he doesn't like me much." Then inwardly, Kagami thinks:  _"Or maybe I'm just bitter about not being a starter."_

"He's just very professional," Sakurai assures him. "I think he knows you improving would be good for the team so he'd be up to giving you advice, uhm, he's our coach after all so… Ah but if you're really hesitating maybe you should talk to Momoi-san about it first."

Now there's an idea, Kagami's more comfortable with that. "Yeah I think I might do that. Thanks."

Sakurai just smiles and nods in reply, then spends the rest of lunch watching and giggling at Kagami's attempts to eat his lunch with his much less dextrous hand.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

He approaches Momoi later that day (after afternoon practice) about his problem and she gives him a  _ **look**_.

"Coach Harasawa won't bite you, you know," she says, sounding a little bit amused.

"I know that!" Kagami growls. "But I—"

"But you're not Aomine-kun?"

"That's not it!"

"Really?" Momoi crosses her arms and looks at him skeptically. "You don't think losing to him publicly took you down a few notches in Coach's eyes? And that your sudden elevated eagerness at being better at the one thing you're not very good at has nothing to do with Aomine-kun?"

"No and **_NO_** ," Kagami answers indignantly, glaring at her as he says it.

"You just—" Momoi seems to struggle with what to say to him. She sighs, then says, "Why don't you try to focus on being the best at what you  _are_ good at? With what you seem to want to do, being a jack of all trades won't really help."

She looks at him contemplatively, and adds, in a softer voice, "Although, amazing three pointers might be in your future skill set…"

"Huh?"

She waves a hand. "Never mind, I think you should focus first on what you're good at. That  _'make my left hand more dextrous'_  plan of yours seems reasonable," she pauses. "Maybe you should do some lower body training, like the exercises boxers do… hmm…"

She pats him on his shoulder. "In any case, you should go see the coach. You weren't subbed in just because, you know, I'm sure he'll give you better advice than Sakurai and I have."

"Fine." He huffs. "When's the next game?"

"There's two, this Saturday, the semi-finals and finals for our division." Momoi bites her lip, and then looks somewhere just past Kagami, and smiles sadly. He turns to look in the directions she staring at but there's nothing there.

Kagami starts thinking about how to ask her what's wrong but she quickly plasters a cheerful look onto her face and beams at him. "You'll probably get to play, considering the tight schedule. Isn't that great?"

She pats his shoulder once more and starts walking away. "I need to go, tell me how it goes though!"

Kagami grunts, and manages a little wave goodbye.  _"What was that about?"_

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

They're eating after morning practice when it happens. Kagami's talking with Sakurai, asking about whether or not stylizing his bento adds flavour to it (all the while struggling to eat his own bento with his left hand) when suddenly someone puts something on his head.

"What the hell!?" He exclaims, irritated, as he removes the offending piece of  _whatever-it-is_  from the top of his head. It turns out to be the bento container he used yesterday (only empty). He turns to look behind him and sees Aomine looming.

He considers just turning back to his lunch and ignoring him, but thinks that that would be awkward considering he's been obviously and directly approached in front of the entire team. So he just narrows his eyes at him, in a way that he hopes conveys both the question  _"What the hell do_ **you** _want?"_ and the statement  _"Get away from me"._

"The gyozayesterday was really damn amazing," Aomine says. Which stuns Kagami for a moment because wow is he complimenting him with a superlative? Is this really happening?

Aomine then crouches down at Kagami's left side to peer at his bento. "Ohhh, croquettes again, did you make beef this time like I said?"

Kagami considers lying and saying, _"No, I made potato cause I hate you"_  but instead says, "What do you  _think_ asshole?"

Aomine replies by grabbing a croquette from Kagami's bento. And before he can slap the bastard's hand, Aomine's already put the damn croquette in his mouth.

"Mmm, beef…" Aomine says between chews. "You did good Taiga"

Kagami grunts and says, "Don't call me that," as he turns back to his bento.

"Where's  _my_ bento?"

"Where it  _always_ is," suddenly an arm seems to fly right in front of Kagami's eyes and he's startled back for a moment before he realizes Aomine's reaching for his bento (which had been sitting on his right).

"What the **_fuck_**  you ass? There are ways to get it without giving me a fucking heart attack,  _geez._ "

"Pfff—" Aomine snorts as he opens his bento. "—you're just a wuss"

"The  _fuck_ did you just say?"

"You're just a wuss." Aomine repeats, annoyingly nonchalant as he pops another croquette into his mouth. "A wuss who has orgasmic cooking, mmm, what the hell do you put into your food?"

"I—" the word  _orgasmic_ being used to describe his cooking, and by  _Aomine_ of all people unnerves Kagami. "—just the normal stuff!"

Aomine doesn't reply with words, instead he makes decidedly indecent sounds as he eats a couple more croquettes.

Kagami turns away from the sight, extremely uncomfortable. He catches the rest of the team gawking at the two of them, amazement on their faces.

"I…what?" he blurts out in his confusion.

Everyone shrugs and turns back to their meals as if to say  _"Nothing, nothing at all,"_ even though how they're still peering at them from the corner of their eyes tells Kagami otherwise.

Kagami frowns, turns to Aomine again to see what he thinks about it, only to find the bastard has already eaten half of his lunch.

"You moron!" He shouts, as he grabs the bento from Aomine. "If you eat any more there won't be any left for lunch!"

Aomine just takes the bento back and says, "Yeah, yeah, I'll just buy some  _yakisoba_  bread or something."

"If you keep eating like that and keep not practicing you're going to lose muscle and gain lots of fat," Kagami snaps at him.

"I'm surprised you even know something like that," Aomine snorts.

"What is that supposed to mean? Everyone knows that!" Kagami growls. "I'm not stupid!"

"Pff—Tell that to your last math quiz."

"You only got two points more than I did!"

"Still  _more_  than you did"

Kagami growls again, raises his hands, opening and closing them, inching closer to Aomine's neck as if about to strangle him to death. "I swear," he mutters through gritted teeth. "One of these days your lunch is going to be poisoned  _and then_  we'll see who's laughing asshole."

Aomine snorts, "Probably me in heaven cause you'd have been kicked out of the team."

Kagami then moves to strangle him for real but Sakurai reaches for his wrist and Imayoshi shouts "Kagami!" before he can really do it.

He hears Wakamatsu say, "Why'd you have to stop him?" like a whine.

Kagami decides to heed his more sensible teammates' advice and takes a deep breath to calm himself down.

" _Don't mind the bastard… he's not there… I should jus—"_  his thoughts are interrupted by a cluttering sound and he sees Aomine has stood up and is licking his fingers.

"That was good, could you make more  _gyoza_  for tomorrow?"

This time it takes four people to stop him.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Later at lunch, Kagami approaches Coach Harasawa about his training in the faculty room. He nervously relays his concerns, while Coach just listens silently, a cold and calculating look on his face. He just can't tell what the Coach is thinking  _at all_. Kagami actually considers that he isn't listening for a moment until he mentions he asked Momoi and Sakurai for advice, and he gets asked to elaborate on it. This is probably the most words he's said to an adult since he'd arrived in Japan.

"So, uhm, what should I do? ….Sir."

"I think Momoi-san's suggestion might be best," Coach Harasawa says, playing with a lock of his hair, looking deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" Kagami asks, "Uhm, sir."

Coach releases the lock of hair to look Kagami squarely in the eyes and then crosses his arms. "From now on you should do more roadwork, do you own any ankle weights?"

"No…sir."

"Buy a pair, or borrow from one of your teammates, then do road work every day with those on. Start with four miles then work up to five or higher when you're confident you can go that far. See me again in two weeks, before the Finals League begins."

"Yes… sir," Kagami nods, taking in the instructions.

When Coach Harasawa nods back but says nothing in reply he adds "Thank you" then bows. He fidgets in place for a moment, eyeing Coach who had gone back to his work, waiting to be formally dismissed. When he's met by silence, he slowly starts stepping back to leave the faculty room, bowing in greeting to the teachers he passes on the way out.

On the way back to his classroom he hears someone shouting his name and he finds Momoi jogging towards him.

"Did you talk to Coach?" she asks as she stops in front of him.

"Yeah."

"And?"

"He told me to do roadwork with ankle weights on," Kagami makes a face that clearly says he doesn't know  _why._ "And to follow him up on it in two weeks"

"Oh! He's trying to strengthen your leg muscles then, good choice considering the data on you—"

"The what now?"

"—that I gave him, what did he say about your left hand?"

"Uhm, nothing really?" Now that she mentions it he had absolutely no comment on that part. "I guess I'll just train it on my own for now."

"Oh, well then that's fine I guess. He must have plans for that later. Anyway, I heard Aomine-kun apologized to you this morning."

Kagami snorts. "I wouldn't use the word  _'apologize'_  to describe that. He obviously thinks he's done nothing wrong."

"Oh, well, if it was anyone else that screamed at him, he wouldn't be calling them by first name."

"Yeah because I  _feed_ him, it's the same reason why he's been calling Sakurai by first name," Kagami grunts. "Wouldn't exactly call that being  _close_ , wish he'd stop, I don't like being called by my first name."

"Didn't you live in America?" Momoi asks him, an eyebrow raised.

"Well… It's different..." Kagami trails off, leaves it at that.

"If you don't want to tell me right now it's fine."

Notably, Kagami thinks, she uses the words  _'right now'_  as if fully expecting Kagami to tell her his entire freaking life story eventually. A bit begrudgingly, he thinks that he probably will end up doing just that.

"Anyway, I was just checking in with you. I have to get back, haven't actually finished my lunch," she turns to walk away, her hair swishing as she waves goodbye.

"Right" Kagami sighs. "Lunch…"

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kagami buys the ankle weights on his way home and wakes up early next day (at what could only be a godforsaken time) to do the roadwork. One thing he can say for sure: the things were fucking heavy. It's not that he was in pain and had to change the way he moved (which he knows is when he'd have a real problem), it's just that the weights take a toll on his speed.

" _It'll take more time to finish this than I thought,"_  he thinks,  _"And I still need to make those damn bento shit"_.

Running those four miles doesn't actually feel so bad though, feels doable to him at least. When he's done it's fifteen minutes to six am and he has half an hour at  _most_  to take a shower (cause  _damn_ does he feel sticky) and finish making the bento and still get to morning practice on time. He showers in five minutes, makes the bento in twenty (he cheats though, and makes sandwiches instead of cooking rice), packs and double checks everything with the remaining five, and then heads for school.

He starts to feel tired during the commute, probably a mixture of getting less sleep than he's used to, and running so far and so hard first thing in the morning. His eyes droop so bad he has to stop walking a little bit from the school gate to shake his head and will himself to muster more energy. It's just too damn early to be this active.

When he gets to the gym, they're already doing basic drills, and Kagami panics a little bit cause he just  _ **really**_ doesn't have the energy for this. He's pretty sure he'll still perform well on the drills, but he's also pretty sure that if he's going to get punished with extra rounds of drills he's not going to survive this day. (He's also  _probably_ going to end up sleeping through all of his classes.)

He starts nervously walking towards the locker room. Coach doesn't seem to be around, maybe he could—

"Kagami."

" _Oh shit, Imayoshi-senpai,"_ he doesn't know if he should look nonchalant (and kind of look like an asshole like Aomine), or look apologetic (and seem a little bit pathetic). He goes with apologetic (because getting lumped with Aomine? No way in _hell_ ).

"Yeah? Uhm, sir…"

Imayoshi doesn't look angry, in fact by the look on his face, Kagami thinks (hopes) he's not actually in trouble like he'd thought.

"Coach said you only need to do half of the basic drills, join in when I call you."

Kagami nods.

 _"_ _So I was excused? And no one's complaining?"_ he wonders, as he walks towards the locker rooms to get changed.

He ends up wondering about it for all of morning practice because the mumbling behind his back he expected from the other freshmen never came; neither did the inquisitive looks from Wakamatsu come. Nobody seemed to care, and Kagami finds that really  _really_ weird. Considering how competitive everyone is he expected  _someone_ to be upset over any form of special treatment, kind of like how Wakamatsu is about Aomine. Maybe it's because Aomine was just more of an asshole than him, or maybe it's because all they really care about on this team is winning. When it comes down to it, maybe anything that'd help them win isn't anything to complain about.

Wakamatsu finally breaks the silence on the matter later when they're all eating. "So what's your special training?"

"Uhm, roadwork…. Four miles, with some ankle weights."

"Ugh, that sounds tiring," Wakamatsu grimaces. "Must feel like eight miles instead of four with those on."

Kagami shrugs. "It's not too bad I guess… feel like I'll fall asleep in class though."

"And you're still making lunches for Aomine?"

"Uh… yeah…"

Wakamatsu frowns at that, which is expected, Kagami guesses.

"Isn't it a hassle? You don't need to pamper that bastard you know."

"I guess, but it kind of gives me more motivation to finish my roadwork faster," Kagami shrugs. "So it works out, kind of?"

Wakamatsu raises an eyebrow.

"Ok not exactly I guess, but…" Kagami shrugs again, then doesn't elaborate any further. He sees Sakurai giving him a reassuring smile, and attempts to smile in return to thank him (he's afraid it looked like a grimace instead).

Breakfast continues on without incident, but later as they're walking to their classroom, Sakurai asks "Do you really not need help with the bento? I noticed you made sandwiches today and no rice."

Kagami huffs. "I wasn't lying when I said it was more motivation you know, it  _is_."

Sakurai looks unsure.

"Look if it gets to be too much I _**promise**_ I'll ask you for help."

"Alright then…" Sakurai says, still looking skeptical "Uhm, make sure you do."

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

As he predicted, Kagami ends up falling asleep in class and he gets into trouble for it which is kind of really annoying considering Aomine  _rarely gets caught._ It's like he'd mastered the art of sleeping in class without getting caught because he does it all the time but somehow he's always awake when he needs to be, but is asleep all the other times Kagami looks. He's gotten caught a few times but never by a particularly strict professor.

Kagami had no such talents. Yet another thing he needs to work on.

It's only lunch time but he still feels beat (better than this morning, but still unusually tired). He wonders if every day is going to be this tiring, at least it made him feel like he was doing  _something_. This thing with Aomine, it's become… well there was no other way to describe it except as a  _problem_. But the thing is he doesn't know what to do about it. He doesn't want Sakurai to get bullied, but he can't deny that Aomine is a  _very big_ asset to the team, and he can't do anything that's  _ **actually**_  solution-like about the former if he can't resolve the later. He  _knows_ he can do this, but he's kind of stuck, he needs to do  _something_  but he doesn't know  _what_.

It's frustrating, and Kagami hates feeling this way. Training hard makes him feel better,  _productive_. He knows Coach must know what he's doing, so he guesses he'll just have to see in two weeks if he really is making progress or not. For now he needs to focus on the games this Saturday, and ok maybe his lunch cause his left hand is still pathetic at handling chopsticks.

"I didn't know you could look so deep in thought Kagamin."

Kagami almost chokes on his food as Momoi's words snap him out of his musings. "Why are you here?" he manages to say between coughs.

Momoi greets Sakurai before replying to him "Well, I just told coach I'd finished making the data on the teams we might face for the finals this Saturday, and he wanted it delivered to you guys as soon as possible."

She hands each of them a stapled document. Kagami flips through his copy; it has what seems to be statistics and paragraph form analysis of all the regulars of the teams  _Seihou_ and  _Seirin_. (1)

"You're expected to study all the better players and know how to deal with them. Coach says you should focus on Seihou cause they seem more likely to win, but my bet's on Seirin," and then she winks at them.

Kagami makes a face because he knows she means to say, _"And I'm usually right."_

"Don't look at me like that, you  _ **know**_  it's true," she tells him, and then addressing them both. "Anyway, I haven't eaten lunch yet so I'm going to go back to my classroom."

She looks at Aomine (who immediately started sleeping after finishing his lunch in seven minutes flat) and sighs. With another short goodbye, she moves to leave.

"You and Momoi-san seem close," Sakurai comments when she's gone.

"We're not," Kagami huffs.

Sakurai doesn't really reply, but he does hum thoughtfully as if he doesn't believe him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) I've changed some things up a little bit, put Touou in the division Shutoku was in in canon
> 
> Trying to transition into more AoKaga interactions, haha. Thank you for all the comments! I haven't had the time to reply to them, and I don't have time to reply to all of them right now (probably, next week) but I really appreciate the advice and encouragement! (also I'm really tired right now, if you spotted any mistakes I might have missed in my self-edit, please point them out to me)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The match against Seirin seems to be personal for Aomine, and Kagami earns some brownie points he's not sure he wanted

Momoi turns out to be right (because of course she does). Kagami wasn’t really paying attention to the first half of Seirin and Seihou’s semi-final since he’d been paying attention to Touou’s own semi-final (he had played because that damn bastard Aomine was late  _again_ what the fuck), but he’d seen enough of the game to see that Seirin was pretty good. Especially this one kid who did some damn amazing passes, it was difficult to keep track of him since he kept disappearing, but it was impressive to say the least. It’s too bad he’s probably not going to get to play in the game against them.

“Oi, Taiga, the ones I asked you to make, did you bring them?” There’s a lot of things Kagami wants to say to Aomine (most of them profanities Aomine probably can’t even pronounce) but Coach is here, so he bites his lip and scowls at him instead. He can see Sakurai glancing at Aomine nervously, and is reminded of why this is something he  _has_ to do. Deep breaths, he tells himself.

“Here you go," he says, handing Aomine a small tupperware filled with honeyed lemons. The bastard should be grateful Kagami couldn’t sleep the previous night or he couldn’t have made the things on top of making lunch.

Aomine makes an appreciative sound as he throws the lid to the ground and starts munching on the lemons.

“Aomine!” Wakamatsu shouts. “You weren’t even in the match for half as long as the rest of us! Why do  ** _you_**  get a supplement!” He turns to Kagami “And Kagami! Why are you  ** _still_** making lunchboxes for him! You’re not his manager!”

Kagami hears Momoi huff indignantly.

He doesn't find out if she has any strong objections about that comment though, because Wakamatsu's roughly grabbing the Tupperware from Aomine’s hands while shouting “Pass me a lemon!  ** _I’m_**  the tired one!” He starts gobbling them down, quickly and without pause except for a couple of quick comments. (“Tastes nice!” for Kagami and “No more for you!” for Aomine).

“Tsch,” Aomine rolls his eyes. “I’ve had enough.”

“What!?” Wakamatsu exclaims, his mouth full of lemons.

“Don’t gobble lemons like that!” Imayoshi admonishes.

“It’s okay—“ Momoi interjects, eyes lighting up “I prepared everyone’s share!”

“Oh, nice!” Imayoshi says “Thank…. You….” He trails off as Momoi presents him several uncut lemons dipped in honey, in dismay he shouts “Kagamiiii, don’t you have any more!?”

Kagami glances over to Wakamatsu. “Uh… not anymore…”

“Oh,” Aomine quips as if he’d just remembered something. “Satsuki’s cooking is horrible you know?”

“This isn’t even what we call horrible cooking!” Imayoshi exclaims in horror. “What’s with the whole lemons!?”

Momoi pouts, “What!?”

Kagami takes a look at Momoi’s creation himself and grimaces, how can someone lack so much common sense in cooking?

“You’re supposed to cut the lemons idiot,” he says to her.

She narrows her eyes at him, offended, but before she can retort Coach claps his hands together twice.

“Alright, listen up!" his voice has everyone tensing in attention "It’s too early to relax, let’s talk about our next match.”

Aomine grunts. “Just pass the ball to me,” he says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He turns to leave the room, “I’ll go warm up a little.”

Wakamatsu moves to stop him, “Aomine! Wait!”

Aomine pauses, tipping his head back slightly, just enough to look at them all. “I’ll score all the points we need,” he says. “That’s enough right?”

“Damn you…” Wakamatsu grits his teeth.

Kagami glances towards Coach, who’s looking at Aomine thoughtfully, he’s pretty sure he knows what he’s going to say.

“Aomine…” he starts, his usual poker face turning smug. “I’m glad to see you know what you’re meant to do.”— _‘I knew it’_  Kagami thinks—“Warm up now!”

“Yes,” is all Aomine says before he closes the door shut.

Wakamatsu turns to Coach with an incredulous look on his face, Kagami wonders why this still surprises him.

“Coach!?”

Coach seems to pay his outbursts no real heed, “Well, that’s not all… We’re going to go on with Aomine as the game maker.”  Then turning to Momoi, “Momoi-san, please tend to Aomine.”

Momoi nods, but looks a bit reluctant as she leaves the room.

“That’s not it!” Wakamatsu moans,

“Wakamatsu, stop getting worked up like this every single time…” Imayoshi says, looking and sounding exasperated.

“You too Captain!?”

“I told you—“ Imayoshi sighs. “—the winner calls the shots here.”

“But that attitude of his…” Wakamatsu tightens his fists so hard they turn white. “Doesn’t he care for his teammates!?”

Kagami thinks that is pretty darn ironic coming from a member of this team. None of them really have the right to complain about Aomine’s lack of willingness to be a team player.

“Just leave him alone,” Imayoshi says firmly, earning a confused look from Wakamatsu.

“As long as the player is good enough, everyone will let him do whatever he wants. Looking at it in a bad way, one would say he’s proud and arrogant. Looking at it in a good way, one would say he has overwhelming confidence obtained through a long career of success. Ah, don’t get me wrong, I don’t particularly like or dislike Aomine. But we don’t care about attitude here—”

 _‘Speak for yourself,’_  Kagami thinks.

 _“—_ Aomine scores, so his words are justice. I’ve got no complaints, as long as he’s a great player. This is the style the team has chosen to achieve success.”

Wakamatsu looks down, still pissed, but he doesn’t say more.

Coach starts asking them if they’d studied Seirin’s stats, but Kagami doesn’t pay much attention. It doesn’t really concern him anymore does it? Besides he’s not completely comfortable with what Imayoshi just said, and the fact that Coach didn’t disagree with it at all. It’s not that he didn’t know, it’s just that… he kinds of hates to be right about this, if only because he also wants the freedom to take Aomine down a notch. 

 _"Suck it up and work hard to get ahead,"_ he tells himself.

He doesn’t see Aomine again until later when they’re being lined up before the match (unfortunately for Kagami, he remains on the bench). Aomine walks towards that kid from Seirin who’s good at passing.

“It’s been a while Tetsu,” he overhears him say. “You’ve been doing pretty good huh? You look very determined.”

 _“So they know each other,”_  Kagami thinks. _“from Teikou?”_

“Yes,” the kid replies, voice dull, expression generally blank save for his eyes which gleam with determination. “I promised Momoi-san.”

Kagami briefly wonders when that even happened, but gets distracted by Aomine chuckling. It just sounds….  _wrong_. He obviously doesn't mean it.

“I get the gist of what you’re saying,” Aomine says, laughingly. “But this is a matter of action. How about this, we’ll talk about it  _after_  you beat me.”

There’s a brief pause before the Seirin kid replies with a “Yes.”

Kagami feels his gut wrench, judging by the look in Aomine’s eyes, Seirin probably won’t even get  ** _close_  **to victory.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“What the hell! Aomine’s hogging the ball and the spotlight!” Wakamatsu shouts angrily.

“Eh!?” Sakurai, who’s running beside him, jumps at the loud exclamation, his face distressed.

Kagami sympathizes with Wakamatsu; if he was playing he’d be really frustrated with how selfish a player Aomine’s being right now (which is more selfish than he usually is, and that’s saying something). As it is though, he’s on the bench, watching from the outside—a spectator—and what he can see isn’t just Aomine being a self-centred asshat, he can see him doing his job and owning the competition.

He can also see Seirin’s morale slowly falling apart.

It’s…  ** _shit_**  it’s hard to explain, Kagami doesn’t have the words, and he feels a little bit sick because somehow the look on the face of the kid who's does those weird passes is so familiar. But the thought is painful, so he prefers not to think on why. Every time Aomine intercepts one of his passes it looks like torture to him. He always pastes a determined face back on, but Kagami can tell his resolve’s crumbling.

He even tries to guard Aomine (and well he’s an interesting player but that is really a bad idea for  ** _anyone_** ), getting Aomine a foul for charging in the process. The passing kid sits there on the court in the aftermath.

Aomine stands over him, frowns and says, “You still haven’t changed Tetsu, you’re still like you were in middle school, exactly the same…”

He pauses, and the look on his face, Kagami notes, is something he has seen only a few times before. It’s like he’s a mix of sad, angry, resigned - it's the terrifying look Kagami never figured out what to do with.

“How disappointing, you still think that you can beat me just like that?”

“That’s exactly what I think,” the passing kid says firmly, as he stands up. “This is my basketball.”

Aomine looks at him, his face clearly saying, _“Why can’t you understand?”_ but remains silent before walking away.

Seirin’s coach calls for a time out and the passing kid (Kuroko, according to what his coach screams; or Tetsu, according to what Aomine’s been calling him) gets benched.

Kuroko’s face scrunches up, obviously frustrated by this.

Kagami’s starting to have a really hard time watching all this, especially now that Kuroko’s not in the game. It’s even less of a match without him.

It’s not that Kagami’s unused to winning with such a big gap it’s just that… this looks almost personal. Aomine’s disposition is actually worse than usual.

Aomine’s movement grows sluggish with every point he garners, but even then he’s still too fast for everyone, it’s almost as if Seirin’s defense is non-existent. When half-time comes, Aomine looks bored out of his wits.

“There’s no way you only have this much in store, your team  ** _has_**  to be better. This is starting to make me fall asleep," he says to all of Seirin in general, then, looking at Kuroko, “Come on, get over here Tetsu!”

There’s a deep frown on Kuroko’s face, and his eyes are furious.

It isn’t looking good for Seirin. They all look tired, burnt out from their previous match. And the emotional toll of Touou seemingly being able to predict their every move seems to be slowing them down.

Kagami’s not even playing but he feels a little guilty. It's important for them to win, it's everything as far as the team goes, but this doesn't look like winning. This looks like spitting on someone's face.

Once they're back in their locker room for half-time, the team acts as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening (Aomine chooses to stay outside), and well, while it  ** _is_**  business as usual, they’ve  ** _got_  **to have noticed Aomine talking to that Kuroko guy right?

 _“God, nobody here really cares as long as we win huh?”_ Kagami looks at Sakurai who’s chugging down water beside him. _“Even_ **he** _looks undisturbed by all this…”_

The second half is not much better for Seirin. Kagami can’t say this is in any way a satisfying victory for them - or at least, _**he**_ isn't satisfied. It’s not Aomine’s fault he’s a damn amazing player but, geez, this feels almost cruel, what with the winning by such a large margin and the biting dialogue.

And Kagami's guilty about being guilty too. He knows that he's just confusing himself with unnecessary thoughts. He grits his teeth and tries to will all the bothersome thoughts away. He's not sure he succeeds.

Kuroko looks exhausted now, his fatigue slowly climbing to the same level as the second years, not that it actually even matters anymore, considering how little time’s left, and how far behind they are.

“The winners and losers were determined faster than I thought,” Aomine comments; Kuroko’s guarding him, and the difference in how labored their breaths are, is striking. “Your great passes are useless now. Your stamina is long gone. Everybody’s hopes are all dashed. Now, even you are simply another tired member of the team,” his eyes narrow. “I won this one Tetsu.”

Kuroko refuses to back down, body language radiating resolve, despite this, he sounds a little desperate when he replies, “It’s not over yet.”

“You can’t win basketball just by one amazing counterattack. Your chances aren't even better than one in a million.”

“When the possibility of winning is zero, that’s because the players have given up, even if other people think it’s meaningless, it’s disgusting for me to quit even when the possibility seems to be zero! Therefore I will never give up!” Kuroko meets Aomine's eyes and doesn’t falter, an act which seems to inspire his teammates.

“Hey, are you guys dead!?” Kagami hears Seirin’s number four shout. “FIGHT TILL THE END!”

The benched members of Seirin start cheering loudly. Beside him, Kagami’s own teammates seem utterly unaffected by all this.

“I agree with only one thing you said—“ Aomine says, cutting past Kuroko’s guard, moving faster than Kagami’s seen him move all day.

Seirin’s number eight and number five try to block him simultaneously, he makes a shot that should be damn impossible, leans back so far nobody can block him. 

Kagami wonders how much control over his body, how much  ** _balance_  **and  ** _confidence_  **Aomine must have in order to be able to pull the move off.

The buzzer sounds, it’s all over. Touou’s won by a mile.

Aomine turns to Kuroko. “It’s a pity really, that you never changed the way you play. No change means no improvement. In the end… your basketball cannot defeat me.”

Kuroko looks devastated, Kagami thinks Aomine is being a little unnecessarily mean (he wonders if Aomine even knows what he's saying, what effect it's having), the number of times he has repeated those things throughout the match was just—

Kagami growls in frustration, and only realizes how weird it looks for a guy on the winning team to do that when everyone looks at him with bewilderment on their faces. He shrugs at their questioning expressions, and watches the two teams thank each other for the game.

Aomine and Kuroko walk past each other, no further words exchanged, no eye contact— as if they didn’t know each other at all. 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“ALRIGHT!” Wakamatsu roars loudly as he pumps his fist in the air “WE CRUSHED ALL OUR OPPONENTS!” he looks positively triumphant.

“Shut the fuck up, Wakamatsu,” Imayoshi snaps, uncharacteristically intolerant. He only said what everyone else was probably thinking, so it’s not like he’s really complaining about the change, but Kagami definitely wasn't expecting it.

Coach steps in calming them both down, “Alright, alright, just hurry up and rest, and think about the mistakes you made this game.”

Not ones to go against authority figures, they stand down and mind their own business.

Everyone's packing up and dressing to leave, when Kagami hears it - the beginning of an obviously damn idiotic comment, and from one of the freshmen who barely come to practice anymore too.

“—and we thought Seirin was sooo strong, especially that number eleven, he was incredibly weak,” his tone is mocking, it makes Kagami’s blood boil. “He was still trying to fight to the end. Probably has some mental issue or something. Isn’t it better just to give up earlier?”

And then Kagami just  ** _snaps._** He can feel his skin going hot with rage, and he's moving before he can pause to consider it.

A loud bang resounds in the suddenly deathly silent locker room when he grabs the front of the guy’s shirt and throws him against a locker. To his shock, he notices Aomine had moved right along with him - he must have, for them to be in this position.

They stare at each other for one long moment, their forearms pressing against each other's, fists crumpled in the collar of the freshman bastard's jacket, twin looks of shock on their faces.

The room grows still, all of them startled into inaction. Kagami’s not sure what to do at this point. He’s so startled his rage has almost wholly dissolved. He lets go of their asshole teammate, steps back and jumps like he’s been electrocuted all in one quick movement. He rubs his forearm for a second, and looks at Aomine like... he doesn't know what he looks like. Probably something like Aomine's own expression, brows cocked up and wide-eyed, mouth slightly ajar. 

Remembering what he’d originally been doing, Kagami shakes his head and steps forward into the space of the bastard Aomine still has pinned to a locker, he puts on what he hopes is a menacing scowl and shouts “A person who was sitting on the bench has no fucking right to talk!”

There's more silence after that, but this time it feels more like anticipation than a stand still. Kagami can feel eyes on him. He rubs the back of his neck, and looks down at his shoes.

“Ah I mean," he's about to ramble, he knows he is "I was on the bench too, but I saw how number eleven played and uh wasn’t he kind of cool though actually? Well ok, maybe cool isn’t the right word uh—“ and he’s starting to sound like an idiot, crap. “—I mean I couldn’t see him half of the time, but the way he played, I’d never seen it before. Even in America! So uh…” Now it sounded like he was bragging.

Thinking that it would be better to just shut up, he presses his lips together tightly.

And then, to their collective shock, Aomine starts laughing.

It’s almost manic, but surprisingly _**genuine**_ and completely foreign to Kagami’s ears. It’s a little **_scary_** to be honest (and the look of horror on several of his teammates faces shows he isn’t alone in thinking this).

Aomine unceremoniously lets go of their asshole teammate and throws his head back, putting a hand over his eyes as he continues to laugh.

Kagami feels lost  _“What the fuck is happening?”,_  he glances towards Momoi for guidance, but even she looks completely at a loss.

When Aomine finally stops laughing he sighs as if incredibly satisfied, and then turns to their asshole teammate, puts on one hell of a fake looking smile and says, “Benchwarmers can just shut the fuck up 'cause they don’t know what they’re talking about, alright?”

He turns to Kagami, pats his right shoulder, and says, “Taiga,” as if it were some big private joke.

Aomine walks out of the room just as Kagami starts demanding to know why he’d been laughing

“What’s his problem…” says that bastard teammate, obviously trying to regain some dignity.

Everyone else immediately start to mutter amongst themselves.

Wakamatsu's face amusingly resembles a goldfish right now, and Kagami would have laughed about it had he not caught Imayoshi smirking at him, obviously barely containing his laughter. Kagami feels like he's being made fun of.

He hears Coach sighing, already putting the incident behind him as everyone else tries to figure out what the hell just happened.

Kagami catches Momoi giving him a knowing look, giggling.

“You’re officially his friend now Kagamin,” she struggles to say between giggles, patting Kagami on the back.

Yup, he's  _ **definitely**_ being made fun of.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Much to both Kagami and Sakurai’s dismay (and their entire class’ great intrigue), Aomine starts joining them for lunch (and, being the grade A asshole that he is, he also starts stealing their food even if Kagami already made him his own damn bento). Aomine’s sudden magnified interest in him is both flattering and annoying (mostly annoying), and neither he nor anyone else who’s become aware of it is quite sure what to make of it (except Momoi and Imayoshi, who both seem to be enjoying the new development). The cause is most probably what happened after the match with Seirin, but Kagami’s not sure how the incident earned him so many brownie points.

Whatever the cause however, he can’t say he’s very happy about the effect. Aomine is now much more invasive. Before it was just the presumptuous first name calling and the arrogant assumption of entitlement to whatever the hell he wants, but now it includes touchy-feely gestures that come out of nowhere and seem especially designed to make Kagami jump or get angry (a slap on the back, hair ruffling, an arm around his neck and other annoying gestures).  

And, as if Aomine being in his company all the time (when he wasn’t sleeping in the infirmary or skipping practice) wasn’t enough, he has to literally drag Aomine along to watch their next opponent’s (Shutoku’s) final preliminary match at Coach’s command (effectively making him Aomine’s official babysitter really). Granted, the entire team plus Momoi are going too, and it had been Imayoshi who’d baited Aomine with gravure idols and stuffed him into a bag (a giant piece of cloth really), but Kagami’s still the one stuck carrying him and keeping him company during the trip.

Aomine growls and screams in protest at first but then gives up and takes a nap. His snores are loud, and (Kagami swears) intentionally pretentious. Kagami hates his life.

They get weird looks from a lot of people on the way to the stadium, so Kagami is just all too relieved when Momoi says, “Alright, we’re here Aomine-kun”.

Aomine emerges from the bag looking disoriented (much to Kagami’s satisfaction), he looks at the magazine in his hand, then turns to Imayoshi fuming “What the heck!? This is Hiriuchi Mako-chan, not Horikita Mai-chan!”

Kagami wonders about Aomine’s priorities, if that’s what he’s more upset about given the situation.

Imayoshi shrugs looking a little annoyed, “Ehhh, I didn’t know… They’re both cute, so isn’t it fine?”

“I’m for big boobs!” Aomine screams back.

“Stop complaining, you’re free anyway right? All you have to do is stand and watch,” Imayoshi’s ability to out-bastard Aomine is outstanding as usual.

“Tch…” Aomine huffs still annoyed, but when he looks towards the court his expression quickly turns into one of surprise.

“Huh, he got better,” he says, sounding mildly awed.

“Yes,” Momoi replies seriously. “Midorima-kun seems to have extended his range once again.”

Kagami looks for who they’re talking about and sees a guy shoot from the half-court line. _“That’s insane,”_ he thinks. _“He must be the one."_

“The arc of his shots is really high huh,” Imayoshi notes passively. “It’ll be hard to block those.”

Aomine snorts, “We don’t need to.”

Kagami wonders if Aomine’s reply means he can’t block Midorima’s shots, or has at least never actually tried, he seems very self-assured that it’s not something that really matters though, so it’s probably nothing to be worried about.

 _“Not that I was worried,”_  Kagami thinks to himself.

“Are you sure it’s nothing to worry about?” Wakamatsu snaps. “Shutoku usually triples their opponents’ score and they don’t even use Midorima for more than one quarter for most of their matches.”

That’s… a pretty impressive record, Kagami decides.

“That doesn’t matter,” and as much as he hates to admit it, Aomine’s confidence is actually reassuring.

Wakamatsu still seems unconvinced though, and he turns to Momoi for confirmation.

“Aomine-kun is mostly right," she says “It will most likely not matter if we prevent the ball from ever getting to Midorima-kun in the first place, and there are many ways we can make sure of that. The other players may make it a little hard to accomplish this though.” She flips through the papers on her clipboard. “Most notable players are definitely their number four, Ootsubo Taisuke-san, and number ten, Takao Kazunari-kun. Ootsubo-san is an aggressive player, arguably one of the best centers in Tokyo right now, as for Takao-kun I think the fact that he’s a first year regular just like Midorima-kun speaks for itself.”

“Ugh, none of that matters!” Aomine whines. “Pretty sure everyone here can match up to them and all I have to do is score more than Midorima right?”

Nobody disagrees with that, in fact most either nod or look away not wanting to contest him. The few who have different expressions are Wakamatsu, whose eyebrows are scrunched in frustration, Imayoshi, who has that usually creepy amused smile on his face, and Sakurai, whose cheeks are puffed up and seems to be looking at Midorima in annoyance (Kagami double takes at that last one because he’s never seen Sakurai with even a mild look of annoyance but now he looks absolutely fuming).

Momoi sighs. “Well, if Aomine-kun’s sure I guess we won’t have much to worry about… Ah!” She turns to Kagami, “Kagami-kun! Coach will see you tomorrow morning before class in the faculty room.”

“What for?” Kagami asks.

“Your special training of course, don’t tell me you forgot.”

“I didn’t,” Kagami huffs.

Momoi ignores the statement. “Well anyways, don’t forget again.”

Kagami grunts, too tired to protest, and turns back the game in time to see Midorima pull off yet another ridiculous half-court shot. He hopes Aomine’s right.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kagami leaves morning practice a little early the next day to meet with Coach as instructed (Aomine, who had miraculously not skipped out, complains about this. Momoi hits him with her clipboard.).

Coach wastes no time, the first thing he says after they greet each other good morning is “How many miles are you able to run now?”

Kagami doesn’t answer immediately because he honestly doesn’t know. “Five… I think.”

Coach actually looks surprised at that. “How long does it take you?”

“Uhm… an hour and a half at first, but now it only takes an hour.”

“Do you alternate between a more leisurely pace and dashing?”

“Yes… sir.”

Coach fiddles with a lock of his hair, his arms are crossed, and his eyes thoughtful. “How much of that one hour do you spend dashing?”

“About half I think.”

“Hmmm.” Kagami’s getting a little nervous, is his time horrible? Coach lets go of his hair, and looks at him. “It’s a little slow,” he says, and Kagami gulps. “But considering the fact that you’re still getting used to the weights, better than I would have expected. You’re starting in the next game.”

Kagami breathes a sigh of relief, then pauses, taking in what Coach had just said. “I… what?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of dialogue taken form canon in this chapter, but liberally edited for fic purposes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The match against Shutoku brings out Kagami's hidden talents, throughout all this, strangely, Aomine seems to be in a relatively good mood.

“Yo!” Aomine slings his arm around Kagami’s neck, making him flinch. Kagami bats Aomine’s arm away and glares at him.

“Don’t do that,” he grumbles.

“You look like you haven’t gotten any sleep,” Aomine’s definitely laughing at him; the hint of amusement in his voice is unmistakable.

“Oh fuck off.”

“Kagamin can’t sleep whenever he’s really excited,” Momoi quips.

“ ** _Really_** ,” Aomine turns to her with interest.

“Shut up!” Kagami screams as he turns red.

They both laugh and Kagami glares at them with all his might.

 _“It’s the first time I get to start,”_  Kagami thinks. _“and_ **not** _because this bastard’s late, of course I’m excited.”_

“ ** _You_**  seem happier than usual too,” Kagami says to Aomine, noting his better than usual mood.

“Yeah well,” Aomine smirks. “This’ll be a little bit more interesting than usual”

“Midorin would be hurt to hear you say ‘a little bit’.” Momoi says, though she sounds more amused than anything.

Kagami thinks it’s a miracle Aomine even said 'a little bit' given how confident he was that Midorima’s three-pointers were no big deal to them. But well, even if he is an annoying bastard, he’s been giving credit where credit’s due (at least in his own assholey way, and only for as long as Kagami’s known him), so there’s that.

When they arrive at their locker room Kagami grows more restless. He starts wondering if he is really truly a starter or if he just dreamed it. After pinching himself to confirm that yes, this is reality, he wonders how this happened so soon, sooner than even he expected. Did Momoi put a word in for him? It seems like the sort of thing she’d do, especially since she seems to think Aomine now kind of considers him a friend, and that because of this, they'll work better together. Kagami’s not too sure about that but he’s used to Aomine being an ass (and getting used to ignoring his being an ass when it’s convenient) so he thinks they'll at least manage.

He still wonders though, why now? Why was he made a starter in a game against a team with one of the Generation of Miracles (who all seem to be insanely skilled bastards like their very own resident asshat Aomine)?

It’s just such choice timing, and not everyone on the team seems comfortable with the fact that he’s been made a starter for this game.

Kagami shakes his head.

Well, it’s probably better for him to just concentrate on the game. He’s here and he’s going to damn well show them he belongs.

Coach comes in a few minutes into his warm-up stretches and calls the starters’ attention. He looks a bit more serious than usual. Kagami guesses this is how it’s going to be every time they’re up against someone from the Generation of Miracles.

“I’m changing my original decision for your marks,” Coach looks at Kagami. “Switch with Aomine, you get Midorima.”

Any murmurs in the room that could be heard before come to a halt; Kagami participates in this stunned silence that sustains for a good fifteen seconds before Aomine snorts and says, “Midorima’s not going to be happy about that.”

Coach huffs, amused, “Let him be,” he says.

“He gets pretty insufferable,” Aomine adds.

 _“Speak for yourself,”_ Kagami thinks, before saying, “I can do it,” with as much determination as he can muster.

Coach nods in his direction in acknowledgement and, Kagami guesses, to silently say  _“Yes I know.”_

“This is better for us,” Coach says firmly, gazing at everyone, obviously gauging their reactions and daring them to object.

No one does, after the initial shock they seem to be begrudgingly accepting Coach’s judgement (the exact same reaction they all had when it was announced to the team that Kagami would be starting instead of Susa).

It’s all routine after that, they file out, set down their water bottles and towels at the bench, and the starters line up to greet Shutoku’s starters.

Up close, Kagami can see that Midorima’s taller than him, it’s not intimidating precisely, but it makes it obvious this isn’t going to be easy, considering how high the arc of his shots are on top of that.

Kagami grins, _“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”_

 

 **-o-o-o-o** **-o-**

The moment Touou’s on defense and people see Kagami's mark is Midorima there’s chaos. Kagami didn’t expect such a noticeable change in the atmosphere, but he could hear the unmistakably puzzled murmurs from the audience and Shutoku’s bench. He can also see Shutoku’s number ten grinning at him, as Midorima glares at him intensely.

Kagami scowls right back at him, and this just seems to irk Midorima more. Midorima turns to look at Aomine in a quick angry movement, the look on his face clearly demanding an explanation.

Aomine replies with a shrug and an smirk designed to annoy.

The entire exchange happens very quickly, before he knows it Midorima's back to glaring at him. If Kagami hadn’t been on court and right in front of Midorima he might have missed it entirely.

"Takao!" Midorima shouts.

Shutoku's number ten responds immediately by passing him the ball.

Midorima moves to shoot.

Kagami’s surprised, for about a second, but he quickly regains his bearings and jumps to block. In the seconds it takes for him to ascend however, his eyes widen a fraction; quickly realizing that the trajectory of Midorima’s shot is far higher than he had anticipated.

Kagami doesn’t even get to touch it.

Midorima starts walking away even before the ball reaches the hoop, and calls Shutoku’s number ten (Takao, as Midorima called him) to come with him.

This is the confidence, Kagami supposes, that comes with being a monster like Aomine (and apparently an arrogant bastard like Aomine).

From there, Aomine gets a hold of the ball and scores pretty easily, steals the ball before Shutoku can take the offensive and scores again. Though the second time, he had to get a little creative since Midorima tried to block him (how Aomine could make a shot by throwing the ball behind him in such a way that it would still arc towards the basket, Kagami would really like to know).

If there was any doubt Aomine could win this for them just by scoring more than Midorima, there wasn’t any now.

Shutoku takes possession of the ball, and with Aomine far away from it Kagami guesses it’s time to move to defense.

He stops in his tracks however when he hears Wakamatsu shout “What the  _hell_!” and turns to see Midorima taking position to shoot from a point barely inside the court.

 _“He can’t be serious can he?”_  Kagami thinks, wide-eyed, he glances towards Aomine and sees he too is surprised _“So this is new to him too?”_

The ball’s trajectory is ridiculously high and in the moment it takes for it to reach the other side of the court Kagami thinks it couldn’t  _possibly_  succeed…  _“Could it?”_

The sound of the ball smoothly going into the hoop seems incredibly loud to Kagami, whose eyes are still wide with disbelief.

He hears Imayoshi heave an exaggerated sigh and say, “This seems to be a little more complicated than we thought it’d be.”

“You think?” Kagami manages to say.

“My range is the whole court,” Midorima announces, voice loud enough for the entire court to hear, though he’s looking and walking straight towards Aomine. “ _Don’t_ underestimate me.”

Irritation flares up within Kagami. _“He thinks my guarding him is Touou_ **underestimating** _him? What am I,_ **air?** ” he thinks, as he growls at Midorima who's studiously ignoring him.

Aomine snorts. “Wouldn’t dream of it” he says, then shrugs. “That isn’t what’s happening here anyway, you’ll see.”

Aomine’s vote of confidence surprises Kagami, though it also irks him cause he’s acting like he knows something Kagami doesn’t. First thing’s first though, he’s got to prove this Midorima bastard wrong.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

When Kagami says, “It’s better if I can’t win” he doesn’t mean “It’s better if I  ** _don’t_**  win,” no, what he means is he likes the challenge of turning it into a situation where he can say “I  ** _can_** win, and I  ** _will_**." Otherwise it’d be pretty boring, if you go into every game thinking “I will win” you’re either full of shit, or saying that from a long history of nothing but victory. Aomine, Kagami thinks, is probably the later (though he's also definitely full of shit). He thinks it’s still a stupid way to think though, because he was undefeated in  ** _middle school_  **did he ever stop to think there were bigger fish to fry out there beyond the preteens with underdeveloped bodies he always played with? Probably not, considering the unmotivated asshole that he is today.

Life’s just boring when you’ve got nothing to fire you up, Kagami doesn’t want to risk making basketball not quite as entertaining for himself again (before he can contemplate more on that, he pushes the bad thoughts away). It doesn’t matter who he’s up against, he will pull something out of his  _ **ass**_  if he has to. If Kagami’s anything, he’s damn persistent.

 _“Persistence is nothing if I don’t make something happen here though,”_  he thinks, gritting his teeth. _“There has to be something.”_

The problem is he doesn’t know what that something  _ **is**_ , Coach hasn’t switched him with Aomine so he must still be expecting something, but unfortunately all Kagami’s been doing is try to block Midorima (keyword: try) and score a few points here and there.

They’re half-way through the second quarter and there’s been no difference from early in the first, Midorima’s still glaring at him, and Touou’s winning by four points (thanks to Aomine mostly).

Just a little bit more though, and Kagami thinks he can do it, he can block Midorima… maybe. He thinks he can. Hopes.

 _“Otherwise this is all just going to be embarrassing and I’m never going to be a starter again,”_  maybe it’s an exaggeration, but there’s some truth in it, and Kagami’s not sure he can wait a long time again now that he has a chance to make it  ** _now_**. If he can’t play full games for a long time, might as well forget it. It isn’t what he signed up for.

(A thought nags at the back of his mind, telling him he wouldn’t quit either way if only because he doesn’t want to go back to the worst year of his life, but he ignores it.)

Midorima seems really angry that Touou’s marks haven’t been changed up to accommodate his preference.

Kagami grits his teeth, vowing to himself he’ll show this bastard what he can do.

Midorima goes for another nearly full-court shot; he’s been consistently making shots from ridiculous distances in an obvious passive aggressive effort to get their coach to switch Kagami for Aomine.

 _“I’m not going to let him make an ass of me”,_ Kagami thinks, as he jumps to block the shot. His middle finger barely grazes it, but it’s progress. _“Just a little more,”_ he thinks, taking deep breaths, wiping the sweat off his chin with his jersey.

Hearing a loud clang, he turns back to see the ball circle the hoop before falling into it.

“Never seen any of Midorima’s shots go in like that before,” Shutoku’s number five remarks, leaving Kagami a little bit proud of the minor achievement.

Midorima is fixing narrowed eyes at him “What’s your sign?” he asks cautiously.

“Huh?” It’s weird question, Kagami thinks, but there was no harm in answering. “Leo, why?”

“Tsch,” Midorima scowls. “Oha Asa really is always right.” (1)

 _“What’s that supposed to mean?”_ Kagami wants to ask, but Midorima’s already walking away.

During Touou’s offense, Shutoku’s number five guards Kagami, while Midorima’s on Aomine. The crowd is visibly more excited when this happens, because, he supposes, this is how they think it should be, one member of the Generation of Miracles versus another. Even if Kagami’s a little pissed off by it, he has to admit Aomine’s plays are more interesting than usual when he’s against Midorima.

Midorima’s strong, tall, fast, and generally a good match for Aomine. Kagami can see plainly that they were teammates, there’s always a split second where they try to predict what the other is going to do. 

He tries to imagine the two of them playing together with Kuroko from Seirin, and begins to think he understands just why these Generation of Miracles guys were so unbeatable.

They’re already monsters individually. Together they must have been a force of nature.

Aomine runs past Midorima who’s quick to react, but as Aomine shoots a three pointer in possibly the most unconventional way possible (by one-handedly throwing it from the right side, eyes trained forward), Midorima fails to block him.

Aomine doesn’t bother looking back when he jogs to the other side of the court for defense.

Kagami hears Wakamatsu grumbling about Aomine hogging the spotlight again, and thinks to himself, _“Not for long”_.

He quickly runs to guard Midorima, who’s currently at the half court line preparing for another shot.

“No you  _don’t!”_ Kagami can’t help but shout as he jumps to block the shot, and this time all five of his fingers graze the ball. He can’t help the feeling of satisfaction the fills him when he sees Midorima’s eyes widen.

“Ah!” He hears Sakurai exclaim, he's gone wide-eyed, even though nothing’s happened yet.

Then he hears Imayoshi pensively say the words “This trajectory…” and he thinks he might understand.

The ball hits the hoop, but it doesn’t go in.

After a very short moment of stunned silence the crowd goes absolutely  _wild_ , Kagami can’t help but grin because goddamit,  _there you go._

 _“Take that all you assholes who ever doubted me,”_  he thinks triumphantly.

Wakamatsu pats him on the back as he passes him. “Nice one Kagami,” he says, and - ok, he's  _ **really**_ ridiculously flattered by all this, it’s damn embarrassing really.

“Thanks…” he mutters, and then he shakes his head. _“Well, I can’t be too satisfied with that,”_  he thinks. _“I won’t stop till I completely shut Midorima down.”_

He’s running towards the other side of the court when Kagami notices Shutoku’s number four is nearer to Aomine, and remembers Momoi mentioning that he’s one of the best centers in Tokyo.

 _“_ Something’s up,” Imayoshi says as he strolls past him, loud enough for only Kagami to hear.

Kagami takes the hint, and checks on the guy marking him.

 _“I think I could get past him if I need to,”_  he thinks.

He glances towards Aomine who’s dribbling the ball, looking a bit bored. “This is a little disappointing Midorima.”

 _“He noticed it too,”_ Kagami thinks, mildly surprised. _“Well… of course he did”_

“It was not my choice,” Midorima replies. “Feel free to ignore him.”

Aomine looks towards Shutoku’s number four as if considering him.

“Hmm,” he says, the only warning before he rushes past Midorima.

Shutoku’s number four moves, obviously attempting a screen but Aomine’s both too fast and too agile for him. Aomine moves towards the left, a fake, Kagami quickly realizes, as he then swiftly spins so he goes through the right as number four moves left, falling for his fake.

Midorima’s quickly on him again, but Aomine’s already jumping for a dunk and it’s too late. He slams it in, and the backboard creaks.

Aomine lands in a crouch, and slowly gets up with a smirk on his face. Kagami catches Midorima rolling his eyes.

Kagami keeps his eyes trained on Midorima as Touou moves for defense, Shutoku’s number ten (Takao, Kagami reminds himself again) quickly passes the ball to Midorima.

Kagami moves to guard him, but Midorima swiftly side steps him, and runs towards the half court line.

It startles him for a moment, and he mutters a curse to himself for reacting a second late. He runs towards Midorima, already preparing to jump.

He’s not immediately aware of it, before he knows it he’s already swatting the ball to the ground from behind Midorima.

Fortunately, unlike him, Sakurai seems to have had a presence of mind since he quickly takes the ball and runs to their side of the court for a three-pointer (and since Midorima shoots from so far away, their side of the court is just that much closer).

“Midorima!” Aomine shouts, getting both his and Kagami’s attention. “Told you,” he says with the biggest smirk on his face, as if  _he_ were the one who’d done the blocking.

Midorima glares at him and then at Kagami, thereafter walking away and muttering, “Oha Asa truly is always right.”

Kagami grunts. “What the hell does that even mean?”

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Shutoku starts relying mainly on their center for their offense. This doesn’t work out quite as well as they would have probably hoped as either Aomine or Kagami are always nearby, and usually manage to block him. The gap between Touou and Shutoku’s scores slowly increased, and now Touou’s twelve points ahead.

During half-time Coach had told them it’d be difficult for Shutoku to make a comeback as long as Kagami was on court and Midorima was shut down. (Aomine told Kagami he could see his tail wagging, Kagami told him to shut the fuck up). Midorima’s a perfectionist, Momoi had added, his confidence comes from a lot of practice, innate skill, and a strong belief in ‘fate’. He doesn’t usually like doing things that he knows he likely won’t succeed in.

“Of course,” she had said. “He usually has full confidence in the things he does on court, most of all his three-pointers,” and then she’d thrown a meaningful glance at Kagami’s direction. “Not today though.”

Kagami understands now why Coach had him do roadwork. The stamina he’d built up is plenty useful.

As he moves for a jump shot he hears Shutoku’s number five say, “How long are you going to keep jumping?” and can’t help but feel a little smug.

He makes the shot and now they’re fourteen points ahead, with less than thirty seconds left in the fourth quarter.

He stares at the score board a little bit in awe, but is then surprised (so much that he jumps a little) when he hears Shutoku’s number ten ( _Takao_ , he reminds himself again) say, “We’re not going down that easy,” as he runs past him, ball at hand, and then passes it to Midorima who’s at the half court line.

Kagami turns to run over there, but Aomine beats him to it, smacks the ball away before it even gets to Midorima. Imayoshi picks it up and shoots a three pointer just before the buzzer sounds.

The ball makes it in seamlessly.  

“Looks like you got the worst match-up,” Aomine tells Midorima as he passes him to line up with the rest of the team

Midorima doesn’t answer, simply closes his eyes and breathes deeply, a frown on his face.

“C’mon Shin-chan,” says Takao. “Even Oha Asa has to be wrong sometimes.”

Midorima grunts, “Shut up.”

Takao just smiles, apparently used to this sort of thing.

After they bow and say thank you, Kagami heads back to the bench and gets patted on the back by a few of his teammates on the way. He doesn't even try to hide his happiness anymore and just grins widely at them.

Once they’re taking it easy in the locker rooms and preparing to leave however, the fatigue catches up.

“I need to eat something,” he announces, though loud enough for only those beside him (Sakurai and Wakamatsu) to hear.

Wakamatsu turns to him, looking eager, obviously running on a high from their victory. “What, do you want to go and celebrate?”

“I want to eat some burgers is what I want to do,” Kagami says flatly.

“There’s a Maji burger nearby,” Sakurai suggests.

“Oh, I like that place,” Kagami replies, mildly enthusiastic now “Let’s go there.”

“Great!” Wakamatsu shouts “Let’s invite—“

“Taiga!”  Aomine interrupts, slinging his arm around Kagami. “I’m hungry did you bring lunch?”

Kagami shrugs his arm off, “ _NO,_ I’m gonna go buy lunch for myself leave me alone.”

“Oh!” Momoi exclaims cheerfully. “Where? Can I go with you? We should celebrate for you Kagamin!”

“Whaaat, what’s there to celebrate about?” Aomine whines. “Of course we won, but if you’re going to go eat, I’m in.”

Kagami makes a face, he’s completely fine with Momoi, but Aomine’s a little… 

“Yeah ok, whatever,” he says picking up his bag, then looks expectantly at Sakurai and Wakamatsu. “You guys still coming?”

Wakamatsu immediately replies, “Yes”, looking determined not to let Aomine’s presence ruin their initial plan.

Sakurai looks unsure at first, but Kagami gives him a look that clearly said  _“Please don’t leave me alone with these people,”_ and he relents.

“Ok,” Sakurai says with a sigh.

“What’s taking so long,” Aomine grunts. “let’s go!”

Kagami’s probably going to regret this.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

“Ugh, it’s like we’re a team now,” Aomine says with obvious distaste as they all sit together in three connected tables. Wakamatsu and Sakurai sit on one side, Aomine and Momoi on the other.

“We  _are_ a team!” Wakamatsu shouts indignantly.

“Pfff!” Aomine starts unwrapping one of his burgers. “Yeah, ok.”

“What do you  _think_ we are anyway you—“ Wakamatsu sees something behind Aomine, and his face contorts into one of horror. “What the hell Kagami.”

“What?” Kagami asks, as he sets down his tray, sitting beside Momoi.

“That is literally a mountain of burgers in front of you.”

“Yeah so?”

Wakamatsu gestures towards said mountain of burgers as if it makes his point obvious. “What do you mean  _‘Yeah so’_  you can’t possible finish that!”

“Pfff!” Kagami chomps down on one of his burgers, mouth still full he says. “Yeah, ok.”

Beside him Momoi starts giggling, he gives her an inquisitive look, but she waves her hand, dismissing it as nothing.

“Anyway,” Kagami adds once he’s swallowed. “The burgers here are way smaller in size compared to the ones in America, even your large ones are tiny.”

Wakamatsu seems to just give up at that and shifts his attention to his food, grumbling to himself about damn returnees and how all his teammates are crazy.

Aomine meanwhile actually seems interested, “Just how big are the burgers in America?”

“Uh,” Kagami’s a little weirded out Aomine’s actually making small talk, but it’s better than the usual him he guesses. “Depends where you buy them I guess, they can be pretty damn huge. Had to eat one as big as my head for a contest once actually.”

Aomine leans forward, eyes widening slightly, “Wait, are you saying that there are burgers as big as your  _ **head**_?”

Kagami frowns, “I don’t like how you just said that, but yeah.”

“Hmm,” Aomine leans back, takes a bite of his burger and chews on it thoughtfully. “Make me one.”

Kagami pauses for a moment, taking that in. “Did you just ask me to make a burger as big as a head?”

“As big as  _your_ head.”

“I  _still_ don’t like the way you say that.”

“Just do it.”

“Fuck you,” Kagami snaps. “Make it yourself.”

Aomine frowns, “I can’t cook though.” Then as if a great idea had just dawned on him his face brightens, “Hey Ryou—“

“ _STOP,”_  Kagami and Wakamatsu exclaim at the same time.

“Neither of them are your personal cooks Aomine,” Wakamatsu growls.

“Uhm”, everyone turns to look at Sakurai who fidgets in his seat before saying. “I’m not sure I could make a burger that big…” Aomine’s face falls. “Ah! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize to a bastard asking for the impossible Sakurai,” Wakamatsu pats his shoulder.

“I could try to make one,” Momoi suggests.

 _“ **Don’t,** ” _Kagami and Aomine reply.

She huffs. “You’re both mean! I could do it if I put my mind to it!”

“Satsuki,” Aomine sighs. “Just don’t, you'll kill us all.”

Momoi glares at him. “Aomine-kun should just shut up.”

“Uh…” Kagami starts uncomfortably. “You know, even if any of us  _could_ manage to make this thing, I don’t think there’s a container large enough to bring it to school.”

Aomine considers this for a moment, “Then I’ll go to your house.”

 _“Is he fucking serious?”_   Kagami thinks, and he’s pretty sure he’s got an interesting facial expression on right now.

“You can’t just invite yourself into someone’s house Aomine,” says Wakamatsu.

“Senpai’s right, don’t be too imposing,” Momoi admonishes. “Kagami-kun’s parents would be troubled.”

“I live alone though, actually,” Kagami shrugs at the surprised looks directed his way. “Coming back to Japan was kind of sudden, my dad was supposed to come here with me but something came up.”

“That’s perfect then,” Aomine says, then turns to Momoi. “No one to bother if I go to his house, see?”

“Well,” Kagami frowns “you’ll be bothering  _me_.”

“It’s for a good cause,” Aomine says.

 _“It really isn’t,”_  Kagami thinks, then firmly says, “No.”

“Just think of what’ll happen if you manage to do it though,” Aomine leans towards him. “You could make two and…” he trails off, looking at Kagami as if he should understand.

“What are you talking about?”

“Look,” Aomine grunts “Since you love burgers so much that you eat basically a mountain of them, what’s the harm in learning how to make one as big as  _your head_?”

Kagami pauses. “I still don’t like the way you say that,” he says, frowning “but I guess you have a point.”

“He  _does?_ ” Wakamatsu looks at him incredulously.

Kagami shrugs, food talks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) To clarify, yes, Midorima’s horoscope for the day here is the same as it was during the first Seirin/Shutoku game in canon
> 
> Tell me if I got anything wrong, I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing when I write these basketball games, at least when it comes to the basketball part lol. We’re getting well into the “friends” territory of the aokaga here haha (even if Kagami wouldn’t admit it, and Aomine wouldn’t exactly call it that), which means the next step is naturally….? Haha, let’s just take it slow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami makes Aomine a giant burger, and things turn weirdly domestic.

Kagami doesn’t actually care  ** _what_** he eats as long as it’s big.

That being said, it's no surprise that the idea of eating a burger as big as a face again is extremely appealing to him—or at least  ** _was_** extremely appealing up until he’d discovered how much work and expenses came into creating such a monstrosity.

He never should have let Aomine talk him into this.

 ** _BUT_** —what’s done is done—nothing he can do about it, might as well make a burger that tastes so good it’ll make both him and Aomine curse at first taste. One that looks and smells so amazing their mouths would water even before that. It be large enough that Aomine would stare at the damn thing in  ** _awe_** the moment he lays his eyes on it. It should be the best damn thing he's ever cooked.

He’d attempted cooking a burger from scratch before (though not one of this size) so he knows the basic gist of what he ought to do.

That Saturday morning, he takes a trip to a department store to buy a round container with about the same diameter as his face along with some plastic wrap before heading for the nearby market to buy four pounds of ground beef.

He’s already started heading back to his apartment when he gets a text from Aomine that says: _“I remember seeing this show where this dude eats a burger with mac n’ cheese in it.”_

Kagami has to stop and sit on a bench, dreading what the bastard’s insinuating. He texts Aomine back: _“…So? (and are you dropping by at 1pm or what)”_

Aomine replies within thirty seconds: _“So make mine like that (yeah around that time, maybe earlier).”_

Kagami frowns and texts back, _“It figures you’d be early for something like this and NOI am not making you a mac n’ cheese burger, don’t have the money for that (by the way you should pay me back in cash for this you bastard)”_

After hitting send, he gets up from the bench and continues the walk home.

He receives Aomine’s reply while he’s closing the door of his apartment and it is predictably assholic.

_“Next time? (also how about I just play you 1-on-1) ”_

Kagami scowls as he reads the words,  _“That fucking bastard”_ he thinks.

He practically mashes the buttons of his phone as he replies _“What next time? This is the only time I will make you a burger of this size you fucking bastard (and I don’t trust you to keep that promise either, just be here at 1pm)”_

Kagami then promptly pockets his phone and then sets all he’s bought onto a counter. After thoroughly washing his hands and putting on an apron, he gets to work.

He’s nearly done shaping the second burger patty when there’s a knock on his door. He checks his wall clock and finds that it’s barely past one ( ** _of course_**  Aomine's prompt for food). He quickly finishes up mashing the meat and washes his hands before heading for the door.

“Yo” Aomine says in a low monotone voice.

Kagami scowls at him before motioning for him to enter. He points at the couch and says “Sit”.

“Your house is clean—“ Aomine says, sounding surprised, as he plops himself down onto Kagami’s couch “—and  ** _empty_** ”

“Don’t need much, and don’t want to live in a dump” Kagami replies a bit testily, as he carefully lifts the second burger patty out of its container with the plastic wrap he’s lined it with.

“Hn” Aomine sounds disinterested, but is looking around the apartment curiously.

Kagami decides to ignore him for now and concentrates on cooking again. He’s getting his largest frying pan ready (best he can do in the absence of a grill) when he remembers “Fuck,  ** _BUNS_** ” he exclaims loudly “I forgot the fucking  ** _buns_** ”

He groans in frustration at the realization and thinks about popping the patties into his refrigerator while he heads out to buy some, but then junks the idea when he remembers it’s unlikely they sell buns large enough for the patties he’s made.

“ ** _Shit_** _”_ he mutters, leaning onto the counter and thinking on his options. He could head for a bakery and look for a substitute for burger buns… Agh, but it wouldn’t taste the same, would it? Probably not by a long shot.

 _“I could bake some”_  he thinks, then glances towards Aomine  _“But he’s already here so I have no time for that…”_

“What are you grumbling there about?” Aomine asks.

“I forgot about the buns,” Kagami answers honestly “Unless you wanna wait a couple of hours while I go buy some ingredients and bake some I’m not sure you’re getting you burger today.”

Aomine frowns at first, and then shrugs “Well, let’s just eat the patties on their own then, make the full burger next time”

Kagami grits his teeth “I thought I told you there won’t be a next time”

“ ** _Technically_** ” Aomine smirks “There hasn’t even been a  ** _first_** time, since all you’ve managed to make is a burger  ** _patty_** _”_

Kagami scowls at him as he considers the situation for a moment  _"This is the only time I will buy four pounds of beef to entertain this bastard, but these patties will spoil if we don't eat them today or tomorrow..."_ Kagami sighs.

“We’re not eating these yet” he says firmly, and takes the platter he’d placed the patties on, puts it in his refrigerator. Looking Aomine straight in the eyes, he adds “We’re going out for lunch at Maji Burger, and then you’re going to pay me back for the four pounds of beef I had to buy with some one-on-ones,  ** _and then_**  you’re going to help me  bake those damn buns so we can have burgers for dinner.”

Aomine’s facial expression tells Kagami quite clearly that he's reluctant to spend that much time with him.

 _“Well tough luck,”_ Kagami thinks  _“It’s this or nothing”_

They stare at each other for another moment before Aomine sighs “Fine, if I’m going to get a burger as big as your  ** _face_** in the process, I guess it’s kind of worth it”

“Agh! What is it with you and the size of my face!?” Kagami screams

Aomine opens his mouth, as if about to say something, but then apparently changes his mind since he closes it again and shrugs.

Kagami rolls his eyes at him “Whatever, gimme a minute to get ready” 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“And people tell me I eat a lot…” Aomine comments with a disgusted face as Kagami takes a seat in front of him. His tray is yet again filled with a mountain of burgers.

“Shut up” Kagami snaps “It’s bad enough I have to eat with you on weekdays, if someone sees us here they’ll start thinking we’re close friends or something”

“Too late for that I think” Aomine snorts “Satsuki says half the school knows you make me lunch”

Kagami grimaces “Why do half of the students in our school even  ** _care_**?”

Aomine shrugs “Didn’t you call me Mr. I’m-a-Big-Deal once?”

Surprised he even  ** _remembers_**  a conversation like that, Kagami stills a moment before replying.

“Well—“he says slowly “—didn’t  ** _you_**  tell  ** _me_**  nobody called you that?”

“Yeah, doesn’t mean it isn’t true though” Aomine answers, before biting off a big chunk of his burger. With a full mouth he adds “I  ** _am_**  kinda a big deal”

“Geez, eww, don’t talk with your mouth full, chunks are flying, it's disgusting” Kagami wipes his cheek with a tissue “Now your face is dirty too”

“Not like you don’t make a mess when  ** _you_**  eat”

“Shut up”

Aomine gestures towards Kagami’s food “Why don’t  ** _you_** shut up and just eat? Gonna need the energy for when I kick your ass later”

“Fuck you” Kagami says, scowling.

He does however; concede by starting to eat his food. (Aomine smirks at that, and Kagami has to keep himself from throwing a punch)

The rest of lunch is spent by Kagami loudly slurping his soda and eating his food with exaggerated chews in hopes that his actions will appear defiant (though in reality, they served only to amuse Aomine further). By the time Kagami gets to eating his last burger Aomine’s already impatiently telling him to hurry it up.

Aomine continues to whine when they make a stop at a convenience store to buy two large bottles of water before they head for the nearest basketball court. And once there, Aomine wastes no time to start acting like an asshole.

He grabs the ball when Kagami’s barely removed it from its bag and speedily jogs away with it, dribbling.

“C’mon, aren’t you gonna even guard me?”

Kagami wants to claw that smug look out of Aomine’s fucking fac—

“Not that it’s going to make a difference”

He continues to regret being in Aomine’s presence.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kagami feels like he’s taking care of a child. How the hell did Momoi survive being Aomine’s care taker since they were kids? He’s like an overgrown baby when he isn’t playing basketball (and even when he  ** _is_**  he’s just a slightly more grown up asshole).

They’re in a grocery store shopping for what Kagami needs in order to bake the burger buns, and Aomine’s acting like the most ill-behaved five year old on the face of the fucking planet.

Kagami is trying to think about how much flour he’s actually going to need to make giant burger buns when he catches Aomine trying to smuggle a pack of macaroni and a block of cheddar cheese into their cart.

“NO” he growls out, swatting Aomine’s hands away “I thought I told you we aren’t making a mac n’ cheese burger”

Aomine sighs “ ** _Look_** ,” he starts, expression equal parts annoyed and strangely pitying “You may not know this, but mac n' cheese is the greatest invention this world has ever known.”

Kagami just stares at him for a few seconds and wonders if this is  ** _really_** how Aomine plans to convince him into making a mac n’ cheese burger. The serious look on Aomine’s face tells him yes.

He sighs, turns back to the wide selection of flour before him then says “I already said no, and I  ** _meant_** it.”

“But I want it” Aomine says monotonously, like an order really, as he pushes the pack of macaroni onto Kagami’s chest.

Kagami’s pretty sure he’s about to pop a vein. He doesn’t want to make a scene in public though, so he tries making a calm suggestion instead.

“How about I just buy some cream cheese and we put some of that on the burger?”

Aomine raises an eyebrow “Wouldn’t that be more expensive?”

“It’s less work though” Kagami grits out.

Aomine frowns “But I want a mac n’ cheese burger”

Curse whatever tv show put that damn idea into Aomine’s head “Look, here’s the deal, I need to cook the mac n’ cheese separately before I put it onto the burger, don’t you think maybe that’s a  ** _little_** too much considering I have to bake a giant ass burger bun and fry a giant ass burger patty?”

“But I wa—“

Kagami growls to interrupt Aomine and says “ ** _Fine_** _,_  put the damn things in the cart but  ** _you’re_**  gonna be making the mac n’ cheese you hear me?”

Aomine stares at the ingredients in his hands for a moment before nodding “How hard could it be?” he says.

Kagami hopes Aomine will eat his words.

He finishes up buying all the ingredients, then somehow goads Aomine into carrying the heaviest plastic bag, before they head back to his apartment.  

Kagami takes a quick shower before he starts working (with how much he’d sweated it would have been unsanitary otherwise), and when he strolls into his kitchen he catches Aomine staring intently at the back of the pack of macaroni they had (or really ** _Kagami_** had (it was his money)) bought.

“What are you doing?” Kagami asks cautiously, as he starts putting ingredients in a bowl to mix into dough.

“Trying to figure out when I’m supposed to cook this thing…” he turns to Kagami “How long will it take to bake those things and fry the patties?”

“All in all? At least an hour maybe. Those’ll take only about five minutes though, cheese sauce maybe twenty, more or less depending on how fast you work”

Aomine grunts, looking annoyed, his posture slacks and he looks at the pack of macaroni disdainfully.

“What am I going to do till then?”

“Why are you asking me?" Kagami huffs "Think about it on your own!”

“Ok, let me say that again, what’ll  ** _we_** do while those are baking?”

Kagami doesn’t stop mixing but he does take a moment to think about that. It’d be awkward if he and Aomine just sat around quietly, and he’s not sure there’s anything for them to talk about that won't make Kagami want to tear his eyes out…

“ ** _Fine_** ” he growls “I’ll make the damn mac n’ cheese, that’ll give me something to do. You can… I dunno,  ** _watch_** ”

Aomine opens his mouth, obviously about to object but Kagami interrupts by adding “If you have a complaint you can think of your own damn way to pass the time”

Aomine shuts up at that, and leans on the island with his arms crossed observing Kagami work.

Having finished mixing Kagami divides the dough into two equal parts and molds them into shape, then flattens them slightly as he places them onto a greased pan. He turns his oven on at the lowest setting then turns it off again, opens it to let some heat out.

“Why’d you turn it off?” Aomine asks

Kagami’s a little bit surprised at the question  _“Is he actually_ **interested** _?”_

He looks at Aomine warily when he replies “I just need a warm place to let the dough rise…”

Aomine makes a face that tells Kagami he doesn’t know what that even means, so he waves a hand at him dismissively.

“Never mind—“ he says, as he sets his cellphone alarm to ring in thirty minutes  “—it’s not really important that you know”

Aomine frowns at him but doesn’t really say anything after that. In fact, and it’s surprising really, he doesn’t whine at all.

Kagami wonders if it’s just that fun to see him scurry about the kitchen and multi-task (probably  ** _is_**  for Aomine given how he thinks he’s so above them all, Kagami included).

And then, it occurs to him, as he’s grating cheese into his heated flour and milk concoction,how this entire situation is just ridiculous. Unnervingly domestic in ways they will surely be teased for later (given Momoi finds out, which he’s pretty sure she will).

All things considered, it’s far too late to be asking himself why he’s doing this. He’s already got time, money and energy invested in it after all.

Still, he can’t help but be pissed at himself.

 _“What do I hope to achieve by doing this?”_  he thinks  _“I should have backed out this morning when I had the chance”_

He sets his cheese mixture aside and starts cooking the macaroni. Once done he takes a strainer and separates the now cooked macaroni from the water, thereafter putting it in a bowl and pouring his cheese concoction all over it.

Aomine attempts to get some when he sets it down the counter but Kagami slaps his hand away.

“NO” he admonishes “And why don’t you just take a shower? This all be done once you get out, if you take your time... or at least nearly”

“I have nothing to change into” Aomine says with a frown

“Just go commando, I’ll lend you some clothes. We’re about the same size anyway.”

“Fine” Aomine says, and starts stripping  ** _right there_**.

“ ** _Do that in the bathroom_** _”_ Kagami screeches

Aomine rolls his eyes but picks up his shirt walks away from Kagami’s kitchen space “Which one is it?”

“Second door to the left” and then Kagami’s phone alarm rings “That’ll be the dough—“ he says, then turns to switch the oven on “It’ll take more or less twenty five minutes for them to bake, shower for that long and you might just have your burger when you get out”

“Yes, yes” Aomine says irately as he walks towards the bathroom.

“I’ll leave the clothes and a towel on top of the toilet in a bit!” Kagami calls after him.

And fuck he  ** _really_  **feels domestic now, this is seriously the last time he is letting Aomine into his house.

Twenty three minutes later the bread is done, and Aomine’s out of the shower.

Aomine attempts to touch the bread and this time Kagami lets him if only to see him get singed. He smirks with satisfaction as Aomine winces and pulls his hand back.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was hot?” Aomine growls

Kagami snorts “I thought it was obvious.”

While letting the bread cool down, Kagami gets to frying the patties, he uses butter to oil his pan then fries some bacon in it thereafter using the leftover oil to fry the first patty. He repeats the process to fry the second one, and then gets to cutting up the buns and putting them in separate plates.

Aomine’s practically drooling by the time Kagami’s putting the patties in between them along with the bacon he’d fried and the mac n’ cheese.

He sets one burger in front of Aomine.

“Be my guest” he says, not that Aomine needed an invitation, as he was already taking his first bite.

“ ** _Fuck_** _—“_ Aomine says, startled “—this is  ** _amazing_**.”  

And its just-- he just looks so genuinely  ** _pleased_** and  ** _thankful_** and maybe it’s because it’s been a long day and Aomine’s been nothing but an asshole, and really, he shouldn’t, he  ** _really_**  shouldn’t—but Kagami  ** _does_**  and he just—it’s  ** _silly_** that he would feel this way he  ** _knows_** that but hearing that—

He’s just so. fucking.  ** _happy_**.

Not as happy as he felt when they won against Shutoku, but— ** _embarrassingly_**  (and Kagami will never admit to it)—pretty damn close.

Does he  ** _really_** want Aomine’s approval that much? His  ** _praise_**?

He’s received that before for his cooking, but never without that annoying mocking tinge to his voice that Kagami’s grown accustomed to. It’s like he’s a different person, like that old Aomine that Momoi had talked about.

It’s a good thing really, that Aomine’s apparently too busy experiencing death by food to notice Kagami’s lack of reaction and slightly flushed face.

Sighing inwardly, he thinks to himself  _“What the hell am I doing?”_

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Here’re your clothes”

It figures that Aomine would do this in public and during  ** _morning practice_**  (did he not skip out especially for this? what the hell). Kagami can feel everyone looking at them as Aomine stands there presenting him poorly folded clothes.

Kagami eyes the garments with distaste. “Did you at least wash these?” he says as he takes the clothes.

Aomine’s eyes gaze up “Uhmmm”

“No then” Kagami grunts “Fine whatever I’ll just wash them myself later”

“You should cook that burger again for me sometime”

Kagami frowns at him, starts stuffing his clothes into his bag “You say that like you’re ordering me to do it”

“Wouldn’t say  ** _ordering_**  just—“

“Oh what’s this?” Momoi interrupts, smile threatening to break her face “Dai-chan why did you have Kagamin’s clothes?”

 _“Shit, nicknames”_  Kagami thinks  _“Either she’s really happy or she’s plotting something, probably both”_

“Took a shower at his house last Saturday” Aomine answers nonchalantly.

“Oh?” Momoi has this  ** _knowing look_** when she turns to Kagami “As expected of you Kagamin, such a good friend to lend out your clothes and shower”

Kagami frowns, looks away because Momoi’s apparent excitement is annoying him “He was sweating all over my kitchen”

“Why was he in your kitchen?”

 _”_ You know the answer to that question, you were there when he asked”

“Mmm, but why was he  ** _sweating_** all over your kitchen?” she leans in, looking expectant. Kagami notices much of the people present do the same, except Imayoshi, who seems to be… holding in laughter? And doing a poor job at it too

Kagami grits his teeth.

“I don’t know!” he shouts, now more annoyed with the situation “Why don’t you ask  ** _him_** _?”_

Momoi turns to Aomine, an eyebrow raised.

Aomine looks at her, great annoyance obvious in the slight purse of his lips and narrowed eyes (and Kagami thinks that for once they are on the same page).

 _“Just what is she trying to accomplish with this?_ ” Kagami thinks  _“Further establish that I’m maybe sort of Aomine’s friend right now?”_

“We played some basketball” Aomine says, apparently giving in “It was really pathetic, but  ** _eh_** ”

Kagami’s growls at that, his irritation quickly changing targets “How do you put up with this shit?” he asks Momoi

She giggles before replying “Years of practice, and a lot of patience”

Aomine makes a face that says he resents that statement and opens his mouth to say something but is interrupted by Coach calling everyone’s attention.

They start lining up in front of him to listen to what could only be an important announcement (Coach rarely stayed after watching their warm ups and giving them training instructions). Kagami goes to stand beside Sakurai who waves at him as he approaches, a small smile on his face.

Sakurai’s expression starts turning a little nervous as he nears however, which confuses him up until he's already standing beside him, at which point he realizes that Aomine had followed him and is also standing at a close proximity.

Aomine’s new tendency to invade his space is still unnerving, and if he were to be honest it’s mostly because he’s finding he doesn’t really completely dislike it (as much as he does find it weird based on what he knows of Aomine’s personality). He really wants to ask him if they’re  ** _friends_** now (especially after the weirdness that was how  ** _domestic_** they were last Saturday, and other things Kagami doesn't really want to think about), but he’s not sure he’d like the answer whether or not it’s a yes.

He shakes his head  _“I’m thinking too much, what happens, happens”,_ and then he turns his full attention to the announcement being made.

“We have two more matches left before we advance, one against Meisei, and another against Senshinkan,” Coach says “we’re going with our usual starting line-up for the match against Meisei, but the line-up for the match against Senshinkan will be the same as the one against Shutoku”

Kagami stands up a little straighter at the announcement, tries his hardest not to grin excitedly.

Beside him, Aomine lets out a sound akin to a short laugh, causing Coach to look in their direction.

“Do you have objections?” he looks genuinely interested. Kagami can’t blame him; Aomine rarely put his two cents in on matters like these, and when he did it was mostly joking and not any form of actual input. The rest of the team looks equally interested, even Wakamatsu, who Kagami had expected to glare at Aomine for sounding cocky, looked begrudgingly intrigued.

“Senshinkan’s no good anymore,” Aomine huffs with amusement “Meisei’s current team’s probably stronger” he lazily point a thumb at Kagami “If you think his jumping around makes us stronger, put him on the starting line-up against Meisei instead”

Kagami  ** _hates_** how he worded that, but he  ** _would_** much rather play in the match against the stronger team (and well, Aomine’s opinion is somewhat trust worthy on these things,  ** _somewhat_** ).

Coach fiddles with a lock of his hair, deep in thought, turning to Momoi he asks “What do you think Momoi-san?”

“Based on the data of their preliminary games, Meisei does seem to have more strengths this year, and Senshinkan’s performance   ** _does_** seems rather lackluster when compared to the rest of the Kings, and even compared to how their team performed last year.”

Coach nods “Well then, it seems smart to do as Aomine suggests” he turns to look at Kagami “Are you content with that?”

“Yes” Kagami says firmly “….sir”

Coach nods again “That’ll be all then, dismissed.”

As the team starts dispersing Kagami turns to Sakurai and says “Let’s walk to class together?”

“Sure, I’ll go get my bag” Sakurai says with a smile, then as he jogs away he calls back “Meet you at the exit!”

Kagami nods then starts to make for his bag as well, and is surprised to spot Aomine walking beside him. He’s confused for a moment before he remembers Aomine had left his bag in the same area (and thus is possibly not just following him for the sake of crowding).

“Thanks” he says before he can stop himself, then mentally slaps himself for it. 

 _"What am thanking him for?"_ he thinks.

“Heh” Aomine says “I didn’t do shit”

“Well” Kagami says, picking up his bag “whatever then”

 _"It's not like I meant to blurt that out anyway"_ and he ignores the odd tinge of disappointment in his chest.

He’s already walking away when Aomine shouts “If you’re really thankful make me another giant burger!”

“Go to hell!” Kagami shouts back, but, despite himself, he smiles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are we finally getting somewhere here??? Haha, anyway the next update might take a while, cause the school year’s about to start here and I’m pretty sure I’m going to be drowned in school work


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami starts to feel weird things, and Aomine's still an asshole.

As far as Kagami’s concerned, it’s ridiculous to say that he and Aomine are friends. Even though they kind of are. He really just doesn’t want to say it out loud because it might become binding (i.e. having an unfortunate degree of permanence). Momoi has his eternal respect for lasting this long. Aomine’s incredibly high maintenance, mostly because although he’d be sort fine without either Momoi or Kagami, it will almost certainly be at the expense of someone else. Better it be someone who will put up with him, but not with his bullshit.

It occurs to him that that’s the line he and Momoi probably feed themselves so they can sleep at night.

(Because at the end of the day, the amount of assholery Aomine manages really makes it hard to put up with him without simultaneously also sort of putting up with his being a dick)

He tries not to think about it too hard though, since in any case Aomine’s not  ** _that bad_** most days though he can certainly be annoying as hell. (He also tries hard not to think about how compliments from Aomine now had the uncanny side-effect of inducing uncontrollable smiling from him.) Instead, he gives his focus to training and the daily bento.

He’s got a memo stuck on his refrigerator with a list of Aomine’s favourite food, or at least those he’d been able to figure out. It’s got only three items on it (teriyaki burger, gyoza, mac n’ cheese burger) but it’s a start. Hopefully it’ll help in planning what to cook faster so he has more time for his morning roadwork.

Ever since he’d discovered just why Coach had gotten him to do it, he feels much more motivated to run. He thinks he might even increase the distance he runs soon. The Meisei game’s not long from now, and he wants to be in good shape for it.

To show everyone that the Shutoku match wasn’t a fluke.

Not that any of his teammates doubted him, in fact a lot of them seem to have magically found respect for him, but he still wants to prove to himself that that wasn’t just a one-time-big-time type of event. He should also probably get to training his left hand again since he’s been slacking off about it compared to his legs. The better he gets, the less likely Aomine is to call his plays “jumping around” (or at least he hopes that’ll be the case, you never know with Aomine).

 “Your roadwork seems to be very effective” Momoi notes, impressed look on her face “I see a bright future for you”

He’s never heard her vocally assessing someone’s improvement, usually she’d just note it down and then hand in the notes on her observations along with the data on the other teams.

“… is that your divination then?”

“More like woman’s intuition”

Kagami raises an eyebrow at that, but lets it go seeing as she seems so sure of it.

“Well let’s hope you’re right" he says “Feel like I’m still missing something”

Momoi looks puzzled “Really? You seem to be on the right track though, maybe you just need another win to make it feel real!”

“Maybe,” Kagami grunts “But I dunno, it’s just…  I just feel like there’s something I should be doing that I’m… well,  ** _not doing_** ”

“Hmm—“ Momoi taps her chin thoughtfully “Well so far I think you’ll be doing great if you continue with your current training regime… but if you think there’s something missing…… Oh!” she beams “You should ask Dai-chan, you’re pretty similar players, he could figure it out maybe”

Kagami frowns “I’m not too sure he’d be willing to make the effort… “

“Didn’t he already agree to a one-on-one?”

“But that was with the promise of food”

“Well then bribe him with food again!” Momoi huffs “You know I only wish I had that sort of power over him, but for some reason he hates my cooking!”

“Uh…” how was he supposed to comment of that? “…right…”

“Anyway” she waves a hand “I’m sure he’ll be happy to help you if you feed him”

 _“More like he’ll be willing to exert minimal effort if I do...”_ Kagami thinks, but says “I’ll take that advice” instead. Momoi had a point anyway. Whatever half-assed assessment Aomine had was probably better than nothing.

Kagami clears his throat “Anyway, I should probably finish my morning drills…”

“Oh! Right. Keep me updated on what happens alright?”

“Sure”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Gyoza again, nice” Aomine says, mildly excited. He makes an incredibly blissed out face when he puts one in his mouth and adds “What do you put in this stuff” he chomps on another one “ugh,  ** _so good_** ”

“Just… normal stuff. By the way, never make that face again it’s creepy” Kagami grimaces

“What face?” Aomine looks genuinely oblivious, Kagami decides not to press it.

“Nevermind” he slumps in his chair “Hey… can I ask you something?”

Aomine raises an eyebrow “This isn’t a favor is it?”

“Sort of… not really. It’s nothing much actually but uh…” Kagami scratches the back of his neck “See I kind of… “ he grunts, frustrated. He was perfectly alright with asking Aomine when Momoi suggested it but trying to say it to the man himself… It's hard to admit inadequacy to the guy you want to overcome.

“ ** _The thing is_** —“ he starts “—I feel like there’s something…  ** _missing_** ”

There’s a pause, before Aomine says "Missing”

“Uh yeah”

“From what exactly?”

“I—from my training”

“Ok” Aomine says slowly “What do you want me to do about it?”

“I need you to give me an idea about what I’m missing” Kagami scratches the back of his neck “Momoi suggested it actually, says we’re similar”

“Pfff” Aomine snorts “what about us is similar?”

“No idea” Kagami shrugs “So will you help me?”

Aomine looks thoughtful for a moment, chewing on his food “What’s in it for me?”

“That thing in your mouth” Kagami replies with a scowl “That’s what’s in it for you”

“Are you  ** _really_**  going to stop making me lunch if I don’t say yes?” Aomine says, looking like he doesn’t believe for a second that the answer to that will be “yes”.

Kagami just glares at him, doesn't budge even when a silent, strained, moment passes.

Aomine looks at him incredulously “You’re kidding”

“Try me”

Gritting his teeth, Aomine lets out a strangled whine as he tries to weigh his options. Kagami briefly entertains throwing in a giant burger promise again to sweeten the deal, just in case, but he reels himself in. He seemed to be leaning towards yes anyway.

“ ** _Fine_** ” Aomine grunts “I’ll do it, but your bento better be damn amazing everyday”

Kagami snorts “When was it not?”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

There’s a disturbingly bright twinkle in Aomine’s eye when he arrives at the outdoor basketball court that Saturday (predictably thirty minutes late). Kagami recognizes the look. It’s the same one he had on when he was trying to sneak macaroni and cheddar into their shopping cart. He’s wide-eyed and grinning, and so obviously planning something that Kagami will not like.

“Yo Taiga!” he calls cheerfully, and when Aomine does  ** _anything_** cheerfully Kagami knows it can only be bad for him. “I saw this thing on tv last night and—“

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT” Kagami says firmly, and then turns away so he doesn’t have to see Aomine’s infuriating disappointed pout.

“Why not? I’m here aren’t I?” he grunts “You owe me!”

“And I brought you lunch” Kagami frowns at his shoes as he dribbles “I’m not going to take another crazy ass request you hear me!”

He hears a soft thump and a rustling of clothes, probably Aomine putting down his bag and taking off his jacket.

“The giant burger thing wasn’t crazy” Aomine scoffs, as he walks to stand right in front of Kagami “It was amazing if anything, you have to admit.” 

Aomine’s hands are on his hips and his fucking chin is actually held high, and Kagami just wants to give him a good uppercut because he has never seen anyone look so high and mighty in his whole damn  ** _life_** , and he’s met a  ** _lot_** of assholes.

“Can’t you take no for an answer?” he snaps

“Heh” Aomine’s posture slackens, and he moves to start guarding Kagami “Tell you what if you win at least  ** _once_** today, I’m just gonna forget it. If you don’t… well”

Kagami doesn’t answer; instead he takes him by surprise by immediately trying to rush past him. He manages to do just that, and sees from the corner of his eye, Aomine looking mildly surprised, but in the split second he moves to lift the ball and shoot, it’s suddenly out of his hands and tumbling to the ground. He moves to take it back, but Aomine’s faster.

He scoops the ball from the ground and shoots, almost as if it was all in one fluid movement, lighting quick.

“1-0” Aomine sneers at him.

Kagami growls “Just you wait you bastard…. One more time!”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Unfortunately by the time the sky starts turning orange Kagami hasn’t won once. He has four almost-wins though (Aomine laughed at him when he said it but he can shove it because they were  ** _so_** almost-wins).

“What about that Taiga?” Aomine chuckles “Looks like you’ll have to hear me out”

Kagami grunts, wipes off his sweat with the front of his shirt “Day’s not over”

“Sun says otherwise, and unless you plan to skip dinner and keep me up all night, we only have the time and energy for only one more go..”

“Really?” Kagami takes a deep breath “I could keep going for three. You lack stamina Aomine.”

“Says the guy who’s desperately trying to not look like he’s panting” Aomine snorts “One more, if I win, you hear me out”

Kagami’s furrows his eyebrows, purses his mouth, evident disdain on his face. He figures Aomine won’t play past this next one-on-one even if he doesn’t agree, so any objection would be for naught.

“ ** _Fine_** ” he says, making it sound as grudging as possible.

“Alright—“ Aomine throws the ball at his chest, and Kagami catches it with both hands “—come at me!”

Kagami dribbles the ball, slowly steps a little to the right, weighing his options.

“Haven’t got all day Taiga” Aomine chides impatiently

“Shut up” Kagami growls “Gimme a minute”

 _”What would Aomine do?”_  he thinks, then mentally shakes his head  _“Ah no, that’s wrong, what would_ **I** _do? I should do the opposite of that”_

He throws the words “go right” and “go left” around his mind in various combinations, trying to figure out what’d best surprise the basketball monster in front of him. Frustratingly, he comes up with nothing concrete. And he almost just improvises, the words “to hell with it” nearly on his lips, when it hits him— _“Well there’s that”_ he thinks.

_“Why the hell not”_

He steps forward quickly, feigning a move to the right, knowing Aomine will be one step ahead of him, reading his body language and getting into position to block him, but then just as quickly, he steps back and gets into position to shoot.

He gets as far as actually shooting the ball before Aomine pops out of fucking nowhere to swat it away.

Kagami stares at him in awe, amazed that he could pull that off without having predicted what Kagami would do.   Then his expression quickly turns to that of mild horror as he remembers just what’s happened.

“You surprised me” Aomine says, sounding like he's actually a bit impressed “And I’m not sure what you were talking about when you said something’s missing with you, but I guess it’s  ** _that_** ”

“That?” Kagami asks carefully

“Yeah, uh, what’s it called?” he scratches the side of his temple “Ah! Right,  ** _animal instinct_** ; takes you too fucking long to figure out what to do, you're intimidating to other losers only cause you're rough, and you think too much”

Kagami takes a moment to digest that, then mutters “…..that’s the first time anyone’s ever told me I think too much”

Aomine snorts “I’m not surprised”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It is what it is…” Aomine shrugs, then grins “And  ** _you_** are going to have to hear me out now”

Kagami’s stomach churns in dread, he walks towards the bench where he’d dumped his things and takes a big gulp of water from his jug. He exhales loudly, then swallows before slowly saying “Ok, go ahead then”

“Ok so—“ Aomine sounds so eager that it’s  ** _weird_** “—I was watching this show, it was like, a special on cheese—“

“Do you watch nothing all day but the food channel or—“

“Shut up for a second, and no I watch porn duh.”

“I didn’t need to know that”

"Well you asked," Aomine waves a hand “anyway,  ** _so I was watching a cheese special_** , and the host dude goes to this place right? And they  ** _STEAM THEIR CHEESE THERE_** , it gets all goey-like and amazing. They also steam their burger patties and it just looks so fucking good I—“ Aomine breathes “—yeah, ok anyway, so I want you to make that for me.”

“Ah, you’re talking about Ted’s! Love that place, been there only once though, trip with my parents” Kagami’s eyes shift away, looking a bit nostalgic, a small sad smile on his face “Good times…” he says softly.

“Great! So you know how to make it?”

Kagami shrugs “Guess I could come up with something similar…”

Aomine grins at him, and Kagami studiously ignores the weird twinge in his chest.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

It took a bit of thought to figure out how he was going to steam the cheese, but Kagami was happy with the end result. He’s pretty sure it isn’t going to taste anything like Ted’s but Aomine isn’t going to know that anyway.

He slowly puts the gooey cheese onto the burger patty with Aomine staring, practically drooling really, and he has to admit he for once understands the over-enthusiasm.

“ ** _God_**  that’s sexy” Aomine says gruffly “Can’t wait to get it in me”

“Ugh, don’t talk like that” Kagami grimaces “I don’t want to hear that kind of thing from you”

He carefully puts lettuce, tomatoes, and a bun on top of the cheese then shoves the plate towards Aomine.

“Here, give it a taste”

Aomine eagerly takes the burger with both hands and takes one big bite. There’s a string of cheese connecting his mouth to the burger as he chews and says “Yessss” in a muffled voice.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full” Kagami says, sounding irked, though he's a little bit glad it turned out well

“It tastes great” Aomine says after he swallows, cheese and ketchup on the edge of his lips and on his chin.

Kagami scrunches his nose “You have a little something here” he says, pointing towards the general vicinity of his own mouth.

Aomine wipes the right side of his mouth with his thumb.

“Still some there”

Making a frustrated sound, Aomine wipes the left side.

“Uh, there’s still—“

“Argh, why don’t  ** _you_** wipe it off” Aomine leans his head forward towards Kagami, looking impatient.

Kagami hesitates, inches back a little but, then takes the front of his apron and wipes the cheese off Aomine’s chin. The proximity makes him uncomfortable for some reason, but he tries not to show it.

“It’s gone” he says as he pulls back “Bring your plate over to the table while I make mine”

Aomine takes his plate and strolls over to the table by way of reply. He then proceeds to continue to make indecent sounds as he eats his burger, causing Kagami to almost mess up making his own.

After finishing his burger Kagami sets his plate on the table, before taking off his apron and hanging it over the counter. He fetches two glasses of water loudly placing one in front of Aomine, who mutters a “thank you” while his mouth is full.

Kagami sighs but doesn’t bother to criticize him again, because it’d be useless and also because it isn’t as if he doesn’t do that sometimes too (not that he’d give Aomine the satisfaction by openly admitting it).

He takes a bite of his burger and revels in the texture of the cheese, nothing like Ted’s (as expected), but pretty damn good, even if he is saying so himself. He looks at Aomine who’s happily chewing and thinks  _“Well,_ **he** _seems to think so too at least”_.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Aomine asks laughingly, startling Kagami enough that he fumbles with the burger in his hands.

“Ah I—“he clears his throat “—I’m  ** _not_** ”

“Right” Aomine snorts “You’re so weird”

Kagami glares at him “I don’t want to hear that from you” he snaps, thereafter taking a huge bite of his burger, chewing as he glares at somewhere vaguely to his right.

Aomine just snorts again before going back to his food. They eat in relative silence for a few minutes, until Aomine speaks again.

“Tomorrow I want a steamed cheese sandwich for lunch”

“Not possible” Kagami says firmly

Aomine grunts “Why not?”

“It’s not going to be anything like this because it’d have cooled down for a few hours by them” he replies “We’re better off with the usual kinda stuff”

Aomine frowns “What about grilled cheese sandwiches?”

 _”So persistent”_  Kagami thinks, then sighs.

“Yeah I guess that’s fine…” he concedes “… do you want me to make cheese fries? Ah, wait no those’ll taste gross by lunch time”

“Just make the cheese sauce” Aomine says excitedly “Lots of it, I’ll bring potato chips”

“Are you even responsible enough to be trusted with doing that?”

“Of course I am” Aomine finishes up his burger and licks his fingers “It’s food, I’ll bring it”

Kagami sighs, and finishes up his burger as well. “Gimme your plate, I’m gonna wash it”

He silently gets up and heads for the sink. There he squeezes a drop of dishwasher onto a sponge and then turns on the faucet. He feels Aomine’s eyes on him and so he turns his head to look back.

“What?” he asks, discomfort in his voice, back stiffening.

Aomine hums thoughtfully “You’re kind of like a housewife huh?”

Kagami nearly drops the plate in his hands when he chokes on his spit “WHAT THE FUCK”

“I mean, your house is really clean, you can cook well, and you seem to be able to do all your chores” he smirks “I bet you even wash your own underwear”

“You  ** _don’t_**  wash your own underwear?” Kagami blanches “Then who  ** _does_**?”

“My mom does” Aomine says unashamed

And Kagami can’t help it, he just starts laughing. He’s laughing so hard his stomach hurts and he has to hunch over the sink.

“Oh my  ** _god_**  you’re a five year old kid” he manages in between guffaws “I mean you don’t even need to hand wash the damn things, you have a washing machine at home don’t you?”

Aomine glares at him “I don’t know how to use washing machines” he grunts “I’m not a girl” (1)

“I know a lot of girls that’ll punch you in the face for that comment. Momoi’s one of them”

“Yeah, well shut up”

Kagami chuckles again “ ** _Five year old_** ”

“Well if I’m a five year old, then you’re my mom”

“That’s insulting to both of us”

Aomine shrugs and Kagami just rolls his eyes, going back to washing their plates. “If you want to use my shower go ahead, I’ll just lend you clothes again”

“Nah, brought my own stuff today” Kagami can hear the clatter of a chair as Aomine stands up “Anyway, I’m using your shower”

“Yeah, yeah” Kagami waves him off then shouts “Don’t use up all the hot water!”

“Yes mom” Aomine shouts back, before the door of the bathroom clicks shut.

Kagami fights a smile, and mutters to himself “That bastard...”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) lol, on the fence about how in character this is, but i thought that he’s being defensive here so what the hey, and also i just thought, that hey, if Aomine’s the type of guy who’d say boobs are filled with dreams, then he’s the type of guy who’ll make a comment like this when Momoi’s not there to hear it
> 
> END NOTES: Kagami’s starting to feel weird things, hmmm. No idea when the next update will be. I’m just REALLY busy with school, I update on tumblr quicker (I post one chapter here in three parts there, they’re posted as I finish them). Just one month left in my semester though, and then I’ll have about a month of break so expect more updates then… err… hopefully


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Meisei game is less than stellar and Kagami stumbles upon unexpected emotions

"I'm surprised you're still keeping your end of the bargain with Kagami-kun"

"How do you even know about that?"

"He tells me stuff."

"Gettin' real chummy there huh?"

"What about you? You'd usually be tired of having so many one-on-ones with someone by now. And Kagami-kun's insatiable when it comes to basketball."

"He said he'd stop making me lunch if I didn't play with him"

"But you could always ask Saku—"

"Shut up Satsuki, I'm trying to sleep. You're annoying go bother someone el— OW! DID YOU JUST KICK ME!?"

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

"Is that a bruise on your cheek?" Kagami asks, thoroughly scandalized. He pokes the darker patch of skin under Aomine's left eye.

Aomine swats his hand away "It kind of stings don't touch it."

Kagami narrows his eyes warily. "How did you even get that?" he asks, before his eyes widen as his brain supplies an answer his own question. "You bastard!" he snarls, angry now "Did you get into a fight!? You could get suspended for that!"

"It wasn't a fight," Aomine rolls his eyes "a demon woman kicked my face"

"Demon woman?" a pause "You mean Momoi?"

"HA, she was the first person you thought of? I'm telling."

Kagami splutters "B-but I'm right….. right?"

Aomine shrugs.

"HA, you called her a demon woman. I'm telling."

"Tsch, fine, why don't we both just not tell her anything? It makes her less annoying anyway"

Kagami bites the inside of his cheek "You know…" he scratches the back of his neck "she's just trying to help you, might do good to be nice sometimes"

"Maybe," Aomine replies, distractedly "Look can we not talk about this, kind of an annoying subject."

"You can't just stop talking about important things because they're annoying."

"Oh like you don't do it too"

Kagami looks away "I don't."

"Uhuh, refusing to look me in the eye, you're the very picture of honesty and open communication."

"Shut up and eat your food."

Aomine snorts, but starts stuffing himself with his grilled cheese sandwich anyway.

"Oh yeah, d'you bring the dip?"

Kagami nods, gesturing to one of the tupperwares he brought out earlier.

"Excellent" Aomine reaches into his bag and brings out a huge bag of chips.

"I put some green onions in it for flavor. I tried to make it taste like the inside of a Texas Cheese Popper from Chili's" (1)

"Haven't tasted those, isn't there a Chili's in Fussa? We should go sometime."

Kagami raises an eyebrow "We? As in you and me?"

"Well someone's gotta pay for it." Aomine shrugs.

For a long moment, Kagami just stares at him, disbelieveing. 

 ** _PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN FOOD YOU BASTARD!_** " he growls "One-on-ones are too easy for you, not equivalent to the effort I put into your food _**at all**_ , I should be getting monetary compensation for these damn lunches."

"Woah, some big words there, didn't know you had it in you"

"Shut the fuck up asshole!"

Aomine smirks "Kagamin-kun we're in school watch your language."

"I don't need to hear that from you." Kagami turns away and starts to aggressively wolf down his food

"If you're  _really_ annoyed with me, why are you still sitting in the same table?"

Kagami's turns his head sharply, eyes glaring. He then quickly grabs all his stuff, including the cheese dip and Aomine's chips, and then kicks his chair over to Sakurai's desk.

"My chips!" Aomine cries reaching out. Apparently too lazy to be bothered to stand up and try to take it back properly.

"Can I sit here?" Kagami asks Sakurai, who nods and smiles at him.

"You sure are close with Aomine-kun." Sakurai tells him as he takes his seat, sounding mildly amused.

Kagami frowns at him but doesn't object.

He opens up his tupperware with the cheese dip and the bag of chips and then, looking at Aomine straight in the eye, starts exaggeratedly dipping and munching on them, making sure everyone can hear the crunch. Mostly Aomine.

"It doesn't have to be like this Taiga." Aomine says gravely.

Kagami doesn't say anything, but he starts eating faster.

"My chips!" Aomine shouts, feebly reaching out from where he's seated.

"They're mine now," he says "lazy bastards have no right to eat good food, I should ask Momoi to make your lunch tomorrow."

"But I'll  _die_ if I eat Satsuki's cooking!"

"What was that about my cooking?" a familiar voice chimes in. Kagami turns to see Momoi standing in the doorway.

Aomine doesn't even hesitate "That it's crap?"

The class grows quiet in an uncomfortable pause, before Momoi marches over to Aomine's seat and slaps the back of his head so hard his face nearly hits his desk.

"OW!" Aomine shouts "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Momoi ignores him and goes over to Kagami and Sakurai, handing them what seems to be the data on Meisei.

"Just came here to deliver these to you two"

"What, none for the asshole?" Kagami asks.

"The paper is wasted on him" she says, rolling her eyes "Anyway, that's all I came to do here, see you!"

Momoi jogs out of the classroom, waving at Kagami and Sakurai right before she goes out the door.

"Ugh—" Aomine starts, rubbing the back of his head "—why is everyone being super annoying today"

"The more annoying you are with others, the more annoying they are with you." Kagami says matter-of-factly, as he continues to devour Aomine's chips "They didn't teach you that in preschool?"

"What kind of shitass preschool did you even go to." Aomine grunts "And gimme back my chips you bastard!"

"Maybe if you read the data on our next opponent like the rest of us instead of being a lazy ass, then I'll give you some of this."

"Ehhh?" Aomine's lips curl in obvious disgust "What are you talking about? Who needs crap like data?" he tilts his head back "The only one who can beat me is me."

Kagami frowns "About that, I've been meaning to tell you that that is the most lameass line I've ever heard."

Aomine doesn't immediately respond, keeps his head tilted back.

Sakurai whispers Kagami's name, terrified look on his face.

Slowly Aomine shifts his head to look forward again, neutral gaze meeting Kagami's own. "What are you trying to say?" 

"I'm saying its lame and stuck up," Kagami replies calmly "It isn't completely a lie I guess, but still hella lame."

Aomine is silent for another moment before he replies "You can keep the chips."

"What, are you mad?" Kagami snorts "Are you mad I called you lame? I guess I'm not making you lunch tomorrow or ever then."

Aomine glares at him, "Asshole" he snarls, about to get up from his chair

"What are you going to do, beat me up? You'll get suspended, you may not even get to play for the rest of the school year; and despite all the lame shit you mouth off I know you don't want that."

Aomine stills, considering this.

"Anyway if you want me to keep making you lunch you better pay up you bastard," Kagami huffs "My parents are starting to wonder why I've been needing so much money lately."

Aomine snorts "So in the end its just about the money"

"Talk to me when you start washing your own damn underwear asshole. Money is important."

"Yeah, yeah," Aomine settles back in his seat "You're weird." he says, sounding unsure for some reason

"I don't want to hear that from you," Kagami frowns "If you want to eat some of your chips get your lazy ass over here"

Aomine pouts a little, but gets up to bring his bento and drag his chair along to where Kagami and Sakurai are.

Kagami catches Sakurai looking at him in awe.

"What?" he asks

"Uh…" Sakurai starts "Never mind"

"You're weird." Kagami chuckles.

 _"I don't want to hear that from you"_  Sakurai thinks.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

The match against Meisei is disappointing. Something about the way they move doesn't feel right, they're too slow. At times, it feels almost as if time has stopped, and in those seconds Kagami would briefly consider whether or not its really okay to steal the ball. He thought that maybe it was a trick. Aomine had said they were better than Senshinkan this year, which meant that they're supposed to be as good as one of the four kings. They couldn't possibly suck as much as they seemed to in Kagami's eyes. But two entire quarters have passed, and everyone is still too slow.

He talks to Momoi about it during the half-time.

"What do you mean?" she asks, looking up form her clipboard

"I mean just that, they're moving too slow, are they trying to pull something?"

Momoi smiles at him "They looked like they were moving perfectly fine from where I was sitting." she uses her pen to point at Aomine, who's gulping down the honeyed lemons he'd brought for him "Aomine-kun might have answers for you."

It seems to Kagami that she knows the answer to his question, but it also seems as if she's fishing for more information by telling him too ask Aomine.

So instead of pressing further, he mutters "Right." softly in reply and steps over to where Aomine is.

Aomine sees him approaching and looks up.

"Did the Meisei guys seem slow to you?"

Aomine snorts, licking honey off his fingers "Everyone seems slow to me."

"What?" Kagami's forehead scrunches "Why? Do I seem slow to you?"

"Ehhh," Aomine shrugs "You're pretty ok I guess." then he stills, as if realizing something. Looking at Kagami seriously he asks "Wait, so Meisei seems slow to you?"

"Yeah" Kagami says carefully, unnerved by Aomine's expression.

And then, unexpectedly, Aomine grins. "Huh, looks like you're a bit more interesting than I thought"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means—"Aomine pauses to close the tupperware in his hands, having finished the lemons "—you don't suck"

"What?"

"At basketball"

Kagami glares at him "I already knew that!"

"Yeah well, now you know for sure it's not just you thinking that."

Kagami pauses, scowling still "Ok," he says slowly "but that doesn't actually tell me why they move so slow"

Aomine sighs "I'm saying that they only seem slow to me and you."

Silence.

" _I'm saying_  they're not slow," Aomine points at him "You're just fast."

Both the compliment and the content of it take Kagami aback. He hasn't looked at his teammates closely while on-court except when he really needs to pass the ball so all he could see was that the Meisei players he guarded were slow.

"Don't get ahead of yourself though, you're still a slug compared to yours truly."

The corner of Kagami's mouth twitches "And _**you're**_ still a grade A asshat."

"See? Beat you at that too."

"Not exactly something to be proud of."

Aomine snorts, shoving the emptied tupperware into Kagami's hands as he stands up to pat Kagami on the back "Don't worry, you'll be the best at something someday."

"Sometimes I just really want to kill you."

"It's not really an unusual feeling when it comes to Aomine-kun," Momoi interjects, causing Kagami to jump in surprise "Sorry to interrupt, but you need to get ready soon."

"Sure." Aomine says, before turning to Kagami again "Anyway, we've as good as won this game already, so feel free to play around"

Kagami glares at him "Why would I do that?"

"To see what else you can do," Aomine gives him a slightly annoyed look, as if what he'd just said is the most obvious thing in the world "You know, I figured out another problem with you, you're not self-aware at all."

Kagami opens his mouth to object but Aomine cuts him off.

"I don't mean like, you don't know your own flaws or whatever, more like the opposite actually… I guess. It's probably why you're such a late bloomer, when it comes to basketball at least. You haven't bloomed at all in any other department, except maybe cooking."

Kagami takes a moment to consider Aomine's rather uncharacteristic spiel, various emotions passing through him, irritation at the fact that Aomine has the gall to tell him that _he_ isn't self-aware, and slight unwanted giddiness at something else.

"Are you complimenting me?" he asks

"Wasn't it already established between us that you cook good?"

"Not that, I meant my skills in basketball."

"Oh that," Aomine shrugs, starts taking off his tracksuit "Like I said, you don't suck. You're even good I guess, not enough to beat me, but no one is, so don't lose sleep over it."

Rolling his eyes Kagami says,"Yeah, yeah, "the only one who can beat me is me", right?"

"Heh" Aomine smirks "Thought you said it was lame?"

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

" _See what else you can do"_ Aomine said, and Kagami gets it (kind of), but how does he experiment in this situation. He knows they won't lose, their lead is wide enough that it'll be impossible for Meisei to catch up, but still,trying out different stuff and experimenting feels like throwing away the game, and is really kind of disrespectful to their opponents. Kagami would rather not get lumped in with Aomine as an asshole if he could help it.

Thinking about it though, holding back is pretty disrespectful too, and its getting pretty annoying seeing Aomine hog the ball, so he's kind of stuck.

"Oi!" he's startled out of his thoughts by a hard slap on his back "What're you spacing out for Kagami?" Wakamatsu asks irately, as they jog to the other side of the court for defense.

"Nothing," Kagami frowns trying to rub his back "It's just—Aomine hogging the ball is kind of annoying"

"Isn't it though?" Wakamatsu grunts "Just wanna kick his head in, the show off"

The worst part, Kagami thinks, is that Wakamatsu is actually wrong, Aomine  _isn't_  showing off. He's actually playing quite lazily for his standards, Kagami's seen him do better in their one-on-ones.

He doesn't feel too bad for Meisei though cause they seem to have just given up, and it's only the middle of the third quarter. He knows there isn't such a thing as a miraculous comeback in just a few minutes in basketball, especially with a score difference like theirs, but they have so much time they could at least TRY.

Meisei's number four misses a three-pointer and Wakamatsu passes the ball to Kagami after getting the rebound. Meisei's number two, their center from what Kagami gathers, moves to stop him but is exerting extremely weak effort at it. Somehow it pisses him off more than Aomine making the game all about him again. So he decides to take things a bit more seriously, rushing past him and running towards the other side of the court.

A dunk, he thinks, would have the most effect in this situation. He jumps immediately as his right foot touches the free throw line.

For split second, he almost thinks he jumped too soon. But before he knows it he's slamming the ball into the basket while screaming triumphantly.

Unfortunately, he thereafter falls on his ass.

"Shit" he mutters, slowly getting up and rubbing his lower back. Than, he realizes that the crowd watching has grown quite silent, and is about to look up to see why when he's startled by extremely loud cheering.

He stares up at them in confusion, and feels even more confused when he turns to see Wakamatsu and Sakurai gaping at him. Imayoshi is grinning in that near supervillain way of his. Aomine's face is straining with a wide smirk and the effort it's taking to hold in his laughter. And most of the Meisei players are looking at him with shocked, slightly horrified faces.

The referee shouts that it's Meisei's ball, snapping everyone out of it. Kagami starts jogging back to the other side of the court to defend.

"Didn't think you'd make that shot." Aomine tells him as he passes him by, laughter in his voice.

Kagami just grunts in reply, thinking it best not to tell the bastard that he almost didn't think he would either.

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

While Kagami loved being able to play a game from start to finish, and while he did enjoy the compliments after he basically pulled off an air walk, he wishes the Meisei game had been a bit more thrilling. Something like their match against Shutoku maybe. Kagami has so much leftover adrenaline, he thinks he can jog two kilometers after this. He glances at the other starters in the locker room and notices they don't look all that tired either.

" _I guess having a member of the Generation of Miracles on your team really makes all the difference"_  Kagami thinks. He glances at Aomine and frowns  _"Wish we didn't have to get stuck with this one though"_

Then, crossing his arms he thinks  _"I feel like there's something I'm supposed to tell him"_

"What?" Aomine asks, noticing his gaze.

"Nothing, just feels like I'm forgetting to tell you something"

Aomine snorts "Well don't hurt yourself trying to remember"

"Shut up" Kagami reaches into his bag to get his shirt, but pulls one out that is decidedly not his.

" _Since when did I have_ _a_ _Boston_ _Celtics shirt….._ _OH"_

He pushes the shirt towards Aomine's chest "You left this at my house last time, I already washed it"

"Oh" Aomine says, "nice" then starts putting the shirt on.

Kagami grimaces "Didn't know you were a fan of the Celtics…"

"I'm not," Aomine snorts "Don't really watch pro-basketball, my dad does though, so he buys me shirts."

"Too bad then, thought I just found the excuse to never talk to you again."

Aomine grins "What, you're one of those die hard weirdos?"

"Says the guy who practically breathes basketball" Kagami rolls his eyes "Anyway you should really take better care of your stuff, what if you'd left something important? If you ever leave your underwear I'm just going to burn it ok?"

"Yes mom" Aomine replies "Oh, speaking of, can I go to your house for dinner tonight? My mom says she's going home late."

"Moochin' off on me even on weekdays now?" Kagami doesn't actually mind that much, but Aomine still hasn't paid him back in full for all the food he'd bought for him before, so it's a little bit annoying.

"I'll pay you" Aomine says, almost sounding as if he means it.

"I'm too tired to cook" Kagami lies "I was just planning to take out some Maji Burger then crash"

"You don't look tired"

"Well maybe I just don't wanna hang out with you"

" _Really"_  Aomine says "Well maybe I'll stop having one-on-one's with you on weekends"

Kagami glares at him "Well  _maybe_  I'll stop making your goddamn lunch everyday"

"Well maybe I'll just ask Ryou to make it!"

"Well maybe I'll just ask him NOT TO!"

"WELL MAYBE I'LL BE GOING TO CHILI'S ON MY OWN THIS SATURDAY"

"GOOD, THEN MAYBE YOU CAN PAY FOR YOUR OWN DAMN FOOD FOR ONCE"

"And  _maybe_ you can both quiet down" Momoi interrupts "It's almost time for us to leave, sort out your spat on the way home"

Kagami and Aomine stare at each other warily for a moment more before turning away and stuffing the remainder of their things into their bags.

Momoi rolls her eyes at them muttering "Boys…", before she goes on to remind the rest of the team that they're about to leave.

Kagami sits with Sakurai near the front of the bus, and Aomine sits with Momoi in the seats across them. They were the last to get on so there was no choice on the matter, but Momoi and Sakurai made sure to put distance between them by sitting in the aisle seats.

Despite this however, Kagami and Aomine glare at each other all the way back to Touou.

"They're such a handful" Momoi sighs, as they're stepping off the bus

"Boys will be boys" Imayoshi says before walking ahead

"Well, that's the problem isn't it" Momoi looks back to see Aomine and Kagami blocking the bus exit by fighting about who gets to leave first, pressing each others faces to one edge of the door and feebly attempting to kick each other but instead just managing to tangle their limbs.

She clicks her tongue, then kicks them both down.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" they shout simultaneously

"Yup" she sighs "That's the problem"

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Kagami just wants to take a can of spray paint and write "AOMINE IS DUMB" all over the most prominent wall in their school. If he wouldn't get suspended for such a thing, he'd probably do it too. He didn't make lunch today for himself or for anyone. If Aomine was going to just take his lunches for granted, then fuck him. Kagami was much better off not waking up extra early anyway. The hours he has to put in for his morning roadwork are more than enough.

He can feel a lot of eyes on him as he walks back to their classroom, arms full of yakisoba bread (though they all turn away after seeing his thoroughly pissed off look).

As he nears Momoi's classroom, he's surprised by the crowd collecting by the entrance and the loud murmurs buzzing around the hallway. He leans in to peek and see what all the commotion is about, and is stopped by the sight of a guy presenting Momoi with a love letter, his head bowed and his arms stiffly in front of him.

Momoi looks shocked and at a loss at what to do.

Kagami doesn't blame her. Public confessions are pretty horrifying, he wouldn't know how to reject it if it was him.

As he walks away he hears Momoi say "Thank you, I'll think about it", and it sounds a lot like a "no" to his ears.

He wonders if this is the first time Momoi's experienced something like this.  _"Probably not"_  he thinks  _"She IS kind of cute,_ _she also seems used to saying 'no' nicely"_.

As he enters his classroom he sees Aomine eating bread and narrows his eyes at him. Aomine glares right back.

" _Well at least he's not eating from_ _other people's_ _lunches"_ he thinks as he takes his seat across Sakurai.

"Hey" he says

"That's… a lot of bread" Sakurai says

Kagami shrugs "I need to eat" he quickly unwraps one of them "Oh yeah, saw someone confessing to Momoi earlier"

Sakurai looks a little bit surprised "That's kind of an unusual sight, most guys think she's already dating Aomine-kun and back off"

"What?" he flits a glance at Aomine "Wait, now that I think about it,  _are they_?"

"Well I'm not sure, but Wakamatsu-senpai asked Momoi-san one time and she said they were just childhood friends and that it wasn't like that" Sakurai shrugs "Maybe they're just hiding it though? She always fusses over him… though lately—ah nevermind"

"What? Lately what?"

Sakurai seems hesitant "Well…uhm, lately he's starting to hang out more with you"

"Oh" Kagami frowns "Well maybe he's just a terrible boyfriend, or maybe they aren't dating at all"

Personally he was leaning towards not at all. Momoi wouldn't put up with a terrible boyfriend. A terrible childhood friend? Sure. But boyfriend? Momoi wouldn't do that to herself. Besides he can't picture either of them confessing in any way or form as their relationship currently is. Maybe they didn't even see each other as dating prospects.

Kagami tries to picture Aomine saying "I like you" seriously, and snorts.

It's a weird thought, he can see Aomine looking ridiculously out of character, completely serious for once about something other than basketball, voice low and grave as he blurts out the confession. It's somewhat silly, and he finds it hilarious, but also... oddly charming. He's not even sure why. His face heats up, and he tries to ignore the blush coloring his cheeks, creeping up all the way to his ears. He takes a big bite of the yakisoba bread in his hands and chews hurriedly.

"You're turning red." Sakurai observes, confused.

"I'm not" he grits out.

"But—"

"I'M NOT."

He's not turning red, it's just hot in their classroom. There's absolutely no reason that he should be turning red.

 _"Aomine confessing is hilarious,"_  he thinks  _"I should be laughing hysterically. Aomine would probably make a quip about boobs if he confesses. It'd be terrible and awkward. It's_ _not_ _charming. He's an asshole. He's dumb. He's—"_

Kagami growls out loud, making Sakurai jump in surprise, and starts to go through his yakisoba bread faster.

" _I'm not blushing. I'M NOT."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) is the Chili's menu the same everywhere idk hahahaha (usually restaurants have vastly different menus depending on the country you're in, in my experience)
> 
> A/N: Hee, something's happening. I wonder if it was too sudden. There's a lot I want to say about Kagami's characterization at this point, but I'll leave it to you guys to figure it out for now haha.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Since we're now on the Kaga-->Ao part of the story, I've changed the summary haha
> 
> [EDIT (01/21/16):

Kagami doesn’t talk to Aomine through Thursday. Sakurai keeps saying that Aomine’s been staring at him like he’s expecting him to strike up a conversation (or an argument, realistically speaking), and Kagami keeps telling him that he doesn’t care.

Except he kind of does. Care, that is.

But that’s exactly why he wants to keep some distance; he doesn’t _**want**_  to care. He feels a little bit angry at himself because there is no greater asshole he could have started getting attached to.

Aomine is literally the worst he can ever do.

AND YET—and yet he can’t help himself.

“This is the worst…..” Kagami groans

“What is?”

The sound of Aomine’s voice makes Kagami jump and let go of the basketball in his hands.

“A-Aomine!?” he stutters loudly “Wh-” he turns away, unable to look at him straight in the eyes “What are you doing here?”

“What at practice? Well I  _ **am**_ part of this team,” he snorts “but more importantly you keep avoiding me and I figured this was the best place the corner you”

Kagami pouts, still not looking at Aomine, he goes over to pick up the ball he dropped “What do you want?”

“Just wanted to know if we were still on this Saturday”

“ _Is he that dense?”_  Kagami wonders, taken aback at how Aomine has the gall to ask this.

“Didn’t you say you were gonna go on your own?”

“I did, but going alone would be boring. And I’d get too lazy to get up and do it.”

Kagami grits his teeth “Well isn’t that convenient”

“So? You game?”

“ _ **No**_ ” he snarls, gripping the ball tightly “And go away I don’t want to talk to you right now”

“What? You still mad about the other day?” Aomine snorts “That was  _ **your**_  fault, but I’ve forgiven you so whatever imaginary thing you have against me you should—”

“ _ **Go away**!_ ” Kagami shouts

His outburst is met with silence, and he almost thinks Aomine’s walked away but then he hears him say, voice low and serious, “What the hell’s your problem?”

“Nothing!” Kagami says indignantly.

“Yeah? Why aren’t you looking at me then”

“I just—leave me alone!” he growls “I mean, I don’t know. I just don’t want to talk to you right now. That’s all. I have a thing this Saturday. Have fun at Chili’s.”

Silence again. Kagami starts dribbling the ball, eyes studiously focused at it. He hopes he doesn't look as uneasy as he feels.

“Fine,” Aomine grunts “You’re so weird” he says. Kagami hears the squeak of his basketball shoes as he, presumably, walks away.

Kagami doesn’t look back to check.

The rest of practice goes by without incident, until the end of it that is, when Momoi asks him to walk her home. He’s pretty sure this’ll be about Aomine. Maybe. Either way it can’t mean anything good.

He ends up waiting twenty minutes, everyone else has long gone.

“Thanks for waiting!” Momoi says, chipper. Kagami’s pretty sure she just stalled so Aomine could get a head start walking home. Definitely not good.

He shrugs in reply and they exit the gym together.

“SO, the Senshinkan match is tomorrow, do you think you’re prepared?”

“I’m not starting tomorrow,” Kagami grunts “But I read your data and I’m still doing my morning roadwork everyday like Coach said, so I guess I am”

“That’s good,” Momoi nods “Looks like you’re avoiding Aomine-kun though, it won’t affect how you play?”

“I  _ **knew**_ this was about him” he groans “Look, I don’t want to talk about it, but ** _no_  **it won’t affect how I play. I mean it’s not as if teamwork’s our biggest strong point anyway so whatever.”

“Right. I still find it interesting that you’re avoiding him. He seems lonely you know.”

Kagami can feel his face heat up “I doubt he is.”

“He went to practice just to see you.” Momoi bends forward to look at his face.

He turns away briskly “He just wants someone to pay for his food.”

“Mmm, that too,” she stands straight again “I think he enjoys your company though” smiling sadly, she adds “It’s been a while since he’s met someone like you, no—” she chuckles “—actually I don’t think he’s ever met someone like you.”

“Like me? What do you mean?”

“Well—” she inclines her head to one side, looking thoughtful “—let me put it this way, have you ever thought about quitting basketball?  _ **Ever**?_ ”

Kagami remembers instantly, the lonely nights with nothing but the moon and a basketball for company, the restless feelings, the persistent memory of someone slamming his back against the wall, the pain in his face and chest after the punch, the angry eyes of someone he never wanted to lose. He fiddles with the ring hanging on his neck. He's never thought of stopping, that's the truth. Even when it should have been hard, he'd never thought to stop.

“No, can’t say that I have.” he says finally.

“That’s why. I think he sees his old self in you too, hey may not realize it though,” she smiles at him, but it doesn't reach her eyes “I hope you’ll stick with him, somehow when he’s with you it feels like it’ll be all better.”

Kagami doesn’t ask what she means by that. He has some idea. The old Aomine. Kuroko from Seirin. Aomine becoming too good for everyone. Teikou. It all forms a picture Kagami can understand, but can’t sympathize with. (He still thinks Aomine’s too ignorant of the world beyond Japanese High School basketball, but he understands; and, he thinks, Aomine wouldn’t really be happy with the vague idea of someone better on the other side of the world anyway.) But he’s not sure why him hanging out with Aomine makes any of these better, seeing as he keeps losing to the guy too.

He doesn’t tell Momoi any of this though, and just silently walks with her the rest of the way.

“Well this is me,” she says “Next week, we’ll probably be up against Kaijou. There’s someone from Teikou there, he used to play a lot of one-on-ones with Aomine.”

“Yeah?” Which means, Kagami thinks, that he’s really good.

“Mmm, yeah, and I think coach will let you start,” she beams at him “Anyway, thanks for walking me home.”

Kagami shrugs. “As if you’d have allowed me to say no”

Momoi sticks her tongue out “Mean. Thanks though.” she starts jogging to towards he house, and waves at him “Bye!”

Kagami waves back lazily, and lingers till he sees her enter her house’s gate.

“Right” he says, then slowly trudges home.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Buzzer beaters usually make you go “Yeah! Alright! That was awesome man, didn’t expect that at  ** _all!_** ” but when Aomine manages one literally everyone just says “Ok, yeah. Seen him do more amazing shit, nothing new.”

Kagami thinks it kind of takes the excitement out of things at times. Like right now for example, the match against Senshinkan was a potential crowd pleaser, but it just turned out kind of flat cause everyone knew who was going to win anyway. Kagami suspects the people who are enjoying just came to see Aomine pummel the competition. It’s kind of like why you go to see a brawler type boxer champ fight a meek underdog fighter. You’re there for the massacre.

It’s not Kagami’s kind of basketball, but obviously some people dig it, and they won, so whatever. He’ll worry about feelin’ it in a match he actually plays in.

“The match against Kaijou next week is being held outside of Tokyo so we’ll be home late, make sure to tell your parents. Also we’ll be using the starter line-up with Kagami in it.” Coach says offhandedly, as they prepare to leave “Now, hurry up so we can all get on the bus.”

Everyone says “yes” in unison and then shuffles around to do their business. Kagami doesn’t need to pack up since he didn’t get to play. He leans against a wall observing everyone. Some of the other freshman whose names escape him are noisily discussing the match and how “awesome” their team apparently is (which is really funny coming from guys who, to Kagami’s knowledge have never actually played in a match and aren’t even around much for practice). One of them is vaguely familiar. Maybe the dude he almost punched that one time? Probably. He isn’t sure.

He sees some second years, bags slung on their shoulders, all ready to leave, muttering things to each other. Imayoshi, Susa, Wakamatsu, and Sakurai are noticeably some distance away from the groups of people silently zipping up their bags, the last of their things stuffed into them.

“Hey” Kagami jumps at the sound of Aomine’s voice.

“What?” he replies, trying his best not to make eye contact.

“You sure you don’t wanna go to Chili’s tomorrow?”

Kagami presses his lips together tightly. He tries to hid the flush on his face, still avoiding having to directly look at Aomine's face.

“I don’t know” he says “Maybe”

“Whaddyou mean  _ **maybe,** ” _Aomine clicks his tongue “so is it a yes or a no?”

“I—I’ll text you. Tonight.” Kagami coughs “Uhm, I’ll think about it… so.”

He cautiously peers at Aomine’s face and catches him rolling his eyes.

“Fine,” Aomine grunts “If you don’t text me I’ll take that as a yes alright?”

Kagami frowns “It’s usually the other way around isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” he pats Kagami on the back so hard it stings “Anyway I’ll be waiting.”

As Aomine leaves, Kagami catches Momoi looking at him, eyes wide, an eyebrow raised.

“Shut up” he tells her.

“I didn’t say anything” she replies.

“ _Yeah but you implied it”_  he wants to say, but thinks it better to just walk away.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

Later Kagami stares at his cellphone wondering why he even owns the damn thing. Or better yet, what possessed him to tell Aomine his number (his working theory is that he never really gave it and Momoi just got it from the school records or something and then gave it to Aomine in her tireless efforts to get them to hang out)

He thinks he should just flat out tell Aomine “no” but suspects that if he does he’ll be in for a night of badgering until either Aomine falls asleep or he gets badgered into saying “yes”. Either of which aren’t things he’s particularly up for.

So “yes” would be the answer that takes the least effort. Well…for now at least. Looking for the Chili’s in Fussa when he hasn’t ever gone there (and when he’s pretty sure Aomine hasn’t either) might be a bigger hassle.

Although, maybe he shouldn’t be thinking about this in terms of how much effort he needs to exert (because really, he doesn’t mind so much). Maybe the better question is, what does he want to do.

It’s harder to find the answer to that though, especially since right now, he doesn’t know how to act around Aomine. It feels strange around him (and he really doesn’t want to admit why that is). But, at the same time, if he’s going to be completely honest, he enjoyshanging out with Aomine.

His phone vibrates, shaking him out of his thoughts. Aomine’s sent him a text message.

“ _So?_ ” is all it says; which irritates Kagami a bit because Aomine’s assuming all of his thoughts since their last conversation have only been about that conversation (it doesn’t even matter that he’s right).

He growls at his phone but hesitates to type  _“No you ass, I ain’t going”_.

There are lots of cons to going: he’ll probably have to pay for everything, they’ll probably get lost before they find the place, he’ll probably have to hang out with Aomine all day. But there’s a pretty good pro too: STEAK.

(and ok, maybe hanging out with Aomine isn’t as much of a con as he would like to think it is)

“ _will we play basketball after?”_  Kagami decides to reply. Better pile up the incentives while he can.

“ _yeah sure”_ Aomine replies after a bit. Then, a second later  _“so is that a yes?”_

Kagami starts to type  _“maybe”_ , but stops.

“ _I don’t have anything better to do…”_ he thinks  _“But saying yes makes me feel like a pushover…”_

He grits his teeth, rubs the side of his phone lightly, and fidgets in place as he furrows his eyebrows and squints at the screen of his phone.

He types down  _“wtvr. fine. ok.”_  and sends it before he can start second-guessing himself again.

“ _It’s done”_  he thinks “ _I don’t care anymore. Whatever.”_

His phone vibrates, Aomine’s replied.

“ _Yes!”_  it reads  _“You’ll pay right?”_

Kagami buries his head in a pillow and growls.

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Aomine’s late.

Kagami isn’t surprised, he even came here to their meeting place (a bus stop near the Maji Burger they frequent) fifteen minutes late anticipating this. It’s frustrating but typical. Kagami finds it more important that he’s actually going to eat out with him like this. The entire situation still makes him want to claw himself out of his body.

He’s not sure what he’s doing; or more accurately, he’s not sure why he’s letting himself do this.

He could stop this here. Right now. He could ditch Aomine and never have anything to do with him again besides being his teammate and reluctant “cook” (he loathes to realize the without the guise of friendship, that’s exactly what cooking Aomine’s lunch makes him). He told himself he should keep his distance, he should really start following his own advice.

He’s kind of sick of mulling about this. He’s sick of thinking about Aomine. He hates that he can’t stop despite that.

Aomine’s one of the best players he’s ever met but he’s also one of the biggest asshats he’s ever met. The latter should really be a big minus but… he’s also fun to be with, and lately Kagami sometimes thinks he gets what Momoi meant by the “old Aomine”, in the way Aomine’s face lights up when he eats good food, or when he’s making fun of him for losing.

He’s almost glad Aomine’s happier even if it is as his expense, and the thought in itself is terrifying (the implications even more so).

“—gami. Kagami!” the sound of his name catches his attention and he turns to his right, startled to find Aomine walking towards him with an irked expression.

“Been calling your name for a while now,” he grunts “you didn’t even turn to look”

“I was…” Kagami looks away “…thinking about something”

“Geez” Aomine grunts “You could have gotten robbed and you’d probably just stand there.”

“I wouldn’t” Kagami replies, a bit weakly, though clearly indignant.

Aomine starts to say something, but the bus arrives and Kagami hops on before he can hear it. He takes a window seat somewhere around the middle. Aomine plops down beside him moments later.

“You’ve been acting weird” Aomine says. It isn’t a question, but the confused furrow of his brow tells him that he wants an explanation.

Kagami shrugs, crosses his arms, pressing them tightly towards his chest as he looks out the window.

“You didn’t even bring a basketball, we'll probably have to go to a sports center at this rate, well, not that I’m really complaining or anything”

“As long as I have my wallet right?” Kagami doesn’t really mean to sound bitter, in fact he’s a bit surprised that it comes out that way. He sees Aomine frown through his faint reflection on the window.

“What the hell’s your problem lately? You wanna get punched, is that it? Not that you’ve been the best company, like,  _ **ever**_ , but lately you’ve been worse”

Kagami turns to him, scowling “Really? I’ve been cooking you lunch, paying for your burgers, basically acting like your own personal chef and nanny, and I’m not allowed to be a bit pissy without being made out to be the asshole? What the hell is  ** _your_  **problem ya butt!”

Aomine looks taken aback for a moment, then he frowns, shifting his eyes away in thought.

“Fine, whatever” he says, before reclining into his seat.

Kagami’s surprised that that ended pretty peacefully, but is nonetheless glad that it did. Maybe Aomine really wants to eat steak that bad.

The rest of the trip is spent in silence, yet, oddly, it didn’t feel tense. In fact, Kagami thinks, Aomine seems more respectful of his personal space now, or at least he hopes that’s what it means. He’d really rather this be a permanent thing.

His hopes, however, are immediately dashed when they get to Chili’s as Aomine seems to have completely forgotten what happened in the bus and is now teasing him for “ordering literally everything on the menu”.

“But I didn’t order everything” Kagami insists

Aomine snorts “It sounded like a mantra though. You ordered literally all of their steaks and appetizers and full rack ribs, pretty sure you’re getting dessert later too”.

“Shut up! That isn’t everything on their menu!” he loudly slurps his iced tea “Refill please!” he shouts to the passing waiter.

“Sure sounded like it” Aomine smirks.

Kagami glares at him. Aomine doesn’t seem to take any of their quarrels seriously. No matter what their nature. Kagami admits that he has some reason to think this, what with how their previous “fights” were like, but still, it’s annoying not to be taken seriously. It’s even more annoying that he finds he isn’t actually very annoyed that this is happening. (If anything it makes him somewhat happy, but he tries to bury that emotion deep)

“Oh yeah, I heard from Momoi that we’re going against a team that has one of your old teammates on it, she said you used to play one-on-one a lot too”

Aomine gives him a confused look “Who are we going up against?”

“How could you not know?” nevermind that Kagami only knows because Momoi told him “It’s Kaijou dumbass”

“Kaijou? Oh, that’s Kise, that’s good. It’ll be way more interesting than usual then”

“So he’s really good?”

“Well, better than you at lea—” Aomine pauses “… no, you know what, I think maybe you could take him. I’m not saying your chances of winning are very high, but maybe it’s at five percent instead of just one or zero.”

“I can’t tell if you’re insulting me or complimenting me” Kagami grunts “Wish I could go up against him now that you say that though… but it probably won’t happen, obviously coach’ll put you on him”

Aomine snorts “I wouldn’t let coach do it any other way, I mean how fucking boring would it be otherwise”

“For you, you mean”

“Of course for me, who the hell else would I be talking about?”

Kagami rolls his eyes “Right, I forgot, you’re the center of the universe”

“Only figured that out now? Damn Taiga you  _ **are**  _slow.”

“Don’t call me by first name, it’s creepy” Kagami says with a grimace.

“What? You can call me by my first name too then.”

“I’d rather call you asshole, but fine, Daiki then.”

Aomine gives him a small fond smile, and he reddens. He hasn’t ever seen that expression before. It makes him nervous. 

“Here are your orders sirs!” a waiter announces, as their servers start placing their orders on the table.

“It’s kinda embarrassing how they’re serving everything at once” Aomine comments

“I—I thought you were shameless” Kagami hopes he didn’t notice the stutter.

Aomine gestures towards their food, an eyebrow raised “People are staring”

“Well that’s their problem” Kagami grabs a buffalo wing and starts eating. Aomine makes a disgusted face at him before sighing and then digging in too. 

“You’re really something else” he says, taking a knife to start slicing his own steak.

Kagami scowls at him “That an insult?”

“You tell me” Aomine says, grinning.

Feeling his face starting to blush again, Kagami turns to his food. “W-whatever” he stammers out “Let’s just eat”.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unexpected plays, and unexpected faces.

Few people can make Aomine’s blood boil to the point of restlessness. Most days, he wakes up and lazes around in bed fiddling with a game on his phone. Other days he just stares at his ceiling until either Satsuki or his mother came to bug him into getting up. But on days like these, days when he knows he gets to face off with someone worth his while, Aomine gets up by himself, no chiding of any sort required.

It was a shame that days like these rarely came to pass, but at least high school proved to bring him new challenges, new excitement. Aomine never felt that the dissolution of the Generation of Miracles concerned him as much as it did the sports magazines and their apparently quite sizable fanbase. It wasn’t as if it changed much of anything, and if he was going to be honest, he didn’t really care so much about the promises Akashi had them make. He liked his old teammates enough, but it wasn't his thing. It didn't matter to him one way or other. At least, at the time. He knows and had always known, intellectually, that when they separated it would inevitably become an all out war between them. But for him, things were simpler than that, they’d still see each other on court, although they’d be on different sides. He’d still get to play, but it was just with different people. It’s a change that was really of no consequence – after all there was still no way he’d lose.

It’s only recently that he’s really begun to think that the change may actually be a good one – a _**great**_ one even.

He’d gotten his first taste of the perks of being on different teams with his former teammates in the match against Shutoku. Midorima had improved – he’d improved greatly. He’d seen looks of distress on his teammates’ faces when he’d made that full court shot, but Aomine had felt nothing but joy.

It was apparent to him right then, that his old teammates would just keep getting better. Even when it seemed that there was no way they could improve more than they already had, they would find new ways to do so. They were gifts that just kept on giving. And Aomine relished in the thought that he would have the chance to reap the benefits of that.

He thinks, that while they could never beat him, at least they’d be actual challenges – tricky because of their genius, not their persistence.

Today they’re facing Kaijou – Kise’s team. Satsuki’s been messaging him since early morning, he notices but he doesn’t reply. He eats his breakfast, surprising his parents at his earliness. When he leaves his house, he doesn’t bring his cellphone. He wants no distractions while he warms up. Dressed in their team shirt and sweatpants, he decides to jog the long way to school.

When he gets to Touou’s grounds he only has enough time to dress into his school uniform before he has to go to class (and an hour later he excuses himself and snoozes in the infirmary).

Taiga berates him for his absence during lunch (which is, as usual, amazing – he really had to hand it to the guy, he had a magic touch), but he just grins at him and steals his tempura.

He makes himself scarce during their afternoon classes by hanging around the infirmary again (their elderly school nurse may be too kind to him but you won’t see him complaining), he wakes up a little after classes have ended and decides to head to the stadium early.

When he gets there people are already flooding in to watch the game – if anyone recognizes him he doesn’t notice, he just makes a beeline for the locker room after asking the security guard where Touou’s is. He picks a locker at random, and shoves his stuff in it before going out for a run.

He might as well warm up since he’s here early.

He jogs leisurely, but manages four laps around the stadium before he figures it’s time to head back to the locker room. He’s still a few meters away but he already hears Wakamatsu screaming, and as he nears the door he hears Coach Harasawa’s muffled reply. His voice is a bit worried – Aomine guesses they’re talking about him.

“Yo” he says casually as he opens the door, halting whatever conversations were going on in the room “Were you guys saying something?”

“Looks like you’ve already warmed up” Coach observes, sounding surprised.

Everyone else seems equally stunned, though most of them seem to be trying to hide it.

“Yeah well” Aomine plops down onto one of the benches “I thought you guys might have some trouble without me today”

“Don’t make me worry every single time!” Satsuki shouts

Aomine finds it almost amusing that after all this time Satsuki still bothers – Kagami had told him to be more grateful, but he mostly doesn’t know how to feel about her fussing about him these days. Especially when she chooses to ignore the obvious in favor of pushing him to be more responsible.

“We’re up against Kise” and when he says it, he makes sure to make it sound as if it should have been obvious to everyone “There’s no way I would be late”

He can’t help the smile that creeps into his face, he feels like he’s on the verge of literally trembling in excitement “I’ve been looking forward to playing against him for a long time –” he clenches his fist to contain himself, gazes forward, and avoids meeting anyone’s eyes “–He’s one of the few guys I can crush as hard as I can.”

Nobody comments on the statement, but Coach sounds almost pleased when he tells them to finish up their preparations.

Aomine stands up to go change into his jersey, and bumps into someone on his way to the locker he’d stuffed his things in. He glaces to his side and sees Taiga looking at him, confused. Aomine raises an eyebrow at him – Taiga just shakes his head and goes back to putting on his own jersey.

Later as they file onto court Taiga jogs up to him and asks if Kise really is that good.

Aomine snorts and tells him “I think it’s better if you just saw him in action firsthand”

Taiga doesn’t look too pleased with the answer, but he doesn’t press it. Aomine wonders if he’ll try to go head to head with Kise and defy Coach’s orders mid game – seemed like that sort of thing wasn’t beyond Kagami. Although, he really was more of a wild card than a rule breaker, so maybe not.

Aomine almost feels sorry for him, there was no way he was going to get any piece of the real action this time. Taiga might have been Midorima’s natural enemy, but Kise would be tough for him. He meant it when he said he could probably take him, but no Coach in their right mind would take that chance, and Aomine wasn’t about to let Taiga hog the fun.

“I’m going to win today Aominecchi” Kise tells him while the rest of Kaijou’s starters greet his teammates.

The arrogance isn’t new, and it’s welcome – Aomine finds it highly amusing, if anything.

“You’re awfully confident today Kise” he says, trying to sound as patronizing as possible “Have you ever beaten me before?”

“I’ll win” Kise replies, unabashed “I _**really**_ don’t want to lose today”

Aomine snorts then turns away. Kise was in an interesting mood today.

He spots Imayoshi shaking hands with Kaijou’s captain. Interestingly his eyes widen a fraction at the contact. That probably meant the other captain is as clever as he is. And Aomine had to admit that Kaijou’s captain certainly looked like it.

But cleverness is where his similarities with Imayoshi ceases. He had a look of a person who demanded respect – an old fashioned captain who took seniority within the team seriously, and genuinely cared for his teammates. He looked like he was willing to get his hands dirty, but he also looked like the type who would only do it by the book. And he had gravitas, enough that would make a lesser man feel intimidated by him.

It was a good thing no one in Touou was a lesser man. (Wakamatsu and Kagami weren’t observant enough to catch the exchange and the implications of it in any case).

Aomine takes a deep breath – this was gonna be a great game.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kise’s good– he's fast, he agile, he makes shots that most people wouldn't even dream of making, but at the end of the day, he’s weak like the rest of them. He’s better than anyone Aomine’s ever played against but that’s all he’ll ever be. Kise copies Sakurai’s quick shoot like it’s nothing, and to anyone else it might be impressive. Aomine sees the shock plain in his teammates’ eyes. He snorts. To him this is nothing.

“ _How disappointing”_ Aomine thinks.

“Still good at copying other people huh” he comments dryly as he disrupts another one of Kise’s shots, fingertips running against the bottom of the ball.

Kise doesn’t reply, he just stares at the ball as it doesn’t go in, dismayed. Aomine wonders what he even expected.

Kaijou’s captain ties the game with a three pointer—Aomine has to admit the guy’s pretty good. The flow of the game is teetering towards Kaijou with that single shot.

“ _Well we can’t have that”_ Aomine thinks, as he takes hold of the ball.

Kise guards him with a deadly serious face, and it makes him snort—he’s obviously desperate. Aomine wonders for a moment, about what has Kise all fired up, but quickly decides that it doesn’t really matter.

“ _If it’ll at least make this game more interesting I’ll take it as what it is,”_ he thinks _“though this team play_ **is** _getting a little annoying”_

“You have a dependable senior” Aomine comments “If you can’t fight me all by yourself, then you’re all going to fight me at once huh? You’ve started thinking like Tetsu, did you start thinking like that after losing to him? You’re putting me to sleep.”

“What?” Kise looks insulted “I never mentioned anything like that” he sighs “Well, I guess I’ve come to acknowledge Kurokocchi’s thinking. I even want to make Kaijou win. But I don’t care about what’s correct, I just want to beat you—“

Aomine raises his head in surprise _“This bastard…”_

“—I’m not mature enough to play basketball with reason over instinct, Aominecchi.” Kise smirks at him, face silently screaming for a challenge.

“Heh” Aomine snorts “Brint it on”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Aomine hasn’t ever played like this before, Kagami's never seen him move so fast. Even against Midorima he never tried moves like these. A fake pass? Lightning fast switches? Is this Kise guy that good that Aomine's bringing out all the stops?

He seems like he is. He blocked one of Aomine’s shots, and the fact that he can even keep up is amazing in itself. Kagami doesn’t doubt Aomine can win, but Kise looks like he won’t be easy to beat.

He shakes his head _“I need to concentrate on my own job, no use getting jealous—but damn to I wanna play those two”_. Kagami tries to recall Momoi’s info on Kaijou, but he can barely remember it. It’s a little embarrassing but he’s just counting on being able to react fast.

The ball’s back to Kaijou’s number four, and Imayoshi’s on him immediately _“Oh that’s right, he’ll feign a pass here”_

“Moriyama!” number four shouts as if he’s about to pass, before going for the drive instead. Kagami can see Imayoshi smirk, confident that he has him cornered. He blocks him, but number four turns around into a fadeaway jump.

Kagami vaguely remembers from the data that they expected this much as well—but number four is unexpectedly fast, even Imayoshi is visibly surprised, he makes the shot anyway, though Imayoshi’s fingers graze the ball.

Kagami runs, he can see Wakamatsu and Kaijou’s number ten doing the same. _“They’re trying to get the rebound”_ Kagami grits his teeth, and jumps once he touches the three point line.

“What the hell!” he hears number ten scream, as he grabs the ball mid air. He stumbles a bit as he falls, but manages to get himself together enough to pass the ball to Wakamatsu who shouts “Nice one Kagami!!!”

He slips onto his ass but at least he’s done his job. By the time he’s stood up, Aomine has the ball again.

He has an intensely annoying smirk on his face, but they managed to not let Kaijou get the flow of the game so he can almost bear the annoyance.

The crowd’s going absolutely wild again—Kagami doesn’t really blame them. There’s some damn good basketball going on between Kise and Aomine. It makes him feel restless too.

Aomine manages to get in a two pointer (formless, effortless) before the buzzer sounds to end the first quarter. Kaijou’s Kise walks back to the bench with gritted teeth. His teammates pat him on the back consolingly.

At their own bench Coach is congratulating them for keeping the flow of the game on their side. Aomine’s sitting on the far right taking deep breaths.

Kagami walks up to him “You tired?”

Aomine glances up at him “Trying to pick a fight asshole?” he snorts “Not even close. I was just thinking, that’s all”

“Didn’t know you could do that” Kagami plops down beside him, then takes a big gulp of water.

Aomine narrows his eyes at him “You’re really looking to get punched aren’t you?”

Kagami ignores him “Kise’s good. You were right. Still think I could take him?”

“Maybe not” Aomine shrugs “He’s a lot better now it looks like”

A manic grin creeps into Aomine’s face, and it makes Kagami shift back. He seems much more excited than usual, which is expected, but at the same time, Kagami finds it a bit concerning.

“ _Maybe I’m just being stupid, there’s no way this’ll bite him in the ass later right?”_

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kise’s trying something. Aomine doesn’t know what the fuck it is but it’s pissing him off. _“Maybe they’re just being desperate”_ he tells himself, since Touou has a solid lead. But Kise and Kaijou’s increasingly un-aggressive plays tell him otherwise.

“ _What the hell he’s going on here,”_ his eyes narrow as Kise passes the ball instead of taking him head-on. _“They don’t seem to have any intention of losing, but they aren’t coming at us aggressively enough”_ he breathes out and dribbles the ball _“Whatever, it doesn’t matter, no matter what they do the results won’t change”_

Aomine speeds past Kise and goes for another shot, but is shocked by the feel of another body bumping him from below, and looks down to see Kasamatsu.

“Foul!” the referee shouts, as Aomine curses mentally.

Kasamatsu falls onto the floor, and despite himself, Aomine can’t help but smirk down at him.

“You’ve really done it now senpai” he says, as he reaches out to help him up.

“What?” Kasamatsu glares at him “You just hit a guy. What’s with the attitude, kid?”

As he walks away fuming Aomine smirks _“He’s got spunk at least”_ he thinks _“Not that it’ll be enough to stop me the second time around”_

“What the hell are they mumbling to each other so seriously about?” he hears Taiga ask, and turns to see him glaring at Kaijou huddling together.

“How should we know?” Imayoshi answers “All we know is that they’re planning something big”

“Won’t matter” Aomine says walking past them “I’m ready for everything”

“ _ **We’re**_ ready for everything you mean” Taiga insists.

Aomine laughs “No I didn’t”

“Still, we better watch out, it’s pretty strange” says Imayoshi “I mean, there was all that talk but it looks like they’re doing nothing”

Aomine doesn’t say anything, but it bother’s him a little too. He tries to shrug it off because it really doesn’t matter, but it’s there.

He gets four more shots in, and Kise struggles to guard him all the way through. _“See? Nothing to worry about”_ he thinks, jogging back to the other side of the court for defense.

But then he turns back to see Kise’s stilled, and he finds himself stopping. _“_ _Strange....”_ he thinks, as he turns around.

Kise slowly lifts his head and gives him a tired smile—and then, somehow, Aomine gets it.

“ _This bastard’s trying to copy me!”_ his mind screams as he looks at Kise incredulously.

With just seconds left in the second quarter Imayoshi scores another two points solidifying their fifteen point lead. Aomine’s mind is racing as they silently file back into their locker room for halftime.

“ _Is it even possible for him to copy me?”_ he wonders _“Well… I guess it doesn’t matter in the long run, but I’m a little interested in where this is going”_

In the locker room Satsuki confirms exactly what he’s been thinking—“He’s trying to copy not just a single move, but his entire style” she says calmly “Including the improvements he’s made, according to my calculations it might take a little bit longer”

Around him, Aomine’s teammates gasp, faces visibly distressed. Wakamatsu predictably reacts the most, shouting at Coach to pull him out of the game.

“We should just bench hi—“

“Don’t be stupid” Aomine exclaims loudly to interrupt his inane rambling, and beside him he can hear Taiga snorting. “Why would you reduce our power on purpose? Let’s just keep going like this, even if he could copy me the results won’t change”

“The only one who can beat me is me” says Taiga, making Aomine turn towards him “What? Weren’t you going to say that?”

“You making fun of me again Taiga?” he asks, trying his best to sound intimidating, though he’s sure it comes off more playful.

Taiga smirks “Always.”

“You’re on his side Kagami!?” Wakamatsu shouts, disbelieving.

“What do you mean?” Taiga frowns “I’m not taking his side, I’m just saying there’s no way this guy is leaving the court when his head is shoved so far up in his ass.”

“But—“

“Calm down Wakamatsu,” Imayoshi cuts in “There’s nothing to worry about.”

Wakamatsu is visibly dismayed “Not you too Captain!”

Coach calls everyone's attention with a clap of his hands, “That’s enough of that” he says “Now get ready to head back out there, keeping Kise copying Aomine in mind—“ looking at Wakamatsu directly he says “We’ll continue on as before” 

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Kaijou puts more pressure on them during their defense, Kagami can feel their aggressiveness rising by the second. But what really shocks him is that Kise attempts one of Aomine’s moves right off the bat. Imayoshi barely manages to stop him.

“ _This isn’t good”_ he thinks spotting Aomine’s shocked face _“Even that bastard wasn’t expecting that to happen so soon”_

Wakamatsu jogs towards Imayoshi “Nice foul captai—“

“Wakamatsu” Imayoshi’s voice is alarmingly tight “Do you remember when Aomine first joined?”

“What?”

“I thought he seemed promising," Imayoshi continues, ignoring Wakamatsu's confusion "but at the same time, when I imagined playing against him, I got goosebumps.” Kagami can’t see their captain's face, but the worry in his voice is telling.

“This isn’t good,” Imayoshi says gravely “I’ve got goosebumps”

As the game progresses they’re forced to foul Kise over and over just to stop him. It isn’t the best plan but it’s better than letting him score. Kagami has a feeling that if they let him do that even once, he may be able to turn the game around. They’re leading by twenty-four points now, and that much of a lead is normally near unrecoverable in a high school basketball game, but it’s kind of like an NBA All-Star game with the Generation of Miracles—they aren’t regular people, twenty four points could be nothing.

Kise makes both of his free throws, and their lead is reduced to twenty-two. The crowd is going wild, and Kaijou looks more hopeful than before. And Kagami’s sure, that to everyone else, it may look like Kise’s about to get the upper hand.

But none of them see it—the killing intent in Aomine’s eyes.

He’s angry. He’s _**beyond**_ angry.

Aomine stands there a little past the half-court line rage seeping out of his pores and roughly throws the basketball in his hands without warning.

The sound of the ball hitting the board shocks everyone on court into stillness, and once the crowd realized the haphazard looking throw earned Touou another two points, the stadium goes deathly silent before going _**absolutely insane**_.

Kagami can hear people shouting “That was a shot!?” from the stands. He can't help but smile to himself thinking  _“Goddamit, Aomine really is awesome”._

“Kise!” Aomine shouts “Stop dragging your feet, if you don’t make it in time, it’s over." he growls "I’m not patient enough to wait till you’re ready.”

Kise doens't answer. He looks troubled, but determination seems to be winning over.

Kaijou takes possession of the ball again; the steadfast look on each of their faces is admirable. Kagami decides he likes them. A lot of their other opponents give up quickly, and, he thinks, even Shuutoku didn’t have this level of solidarity and strength of will.

Number ten makes a shot after much struggling against their guard, and their lead is reduced to twenty points.

Imayoshi is obviously having none of that. He passes the ball to Sakurai for a three-pointer. Kaijou’s captain is visibly panicked, but in a desperate leap, Kaijou’s number five manages to block the shot.

“ _Yeah”_ Kagami thinks, smiling  _“I like these guys, t_ _his is going to be a fulfilling win”_

Kise looks apologetic for a moment, jogging after his upperclassmen. But after they say something to him (a reassurance, Kagami assumes), he stops and bows his head.

Kagami doesn’t think it bodes well.

Kaijou’s on offense again, and it isn’t long before Kise once again has possession of the ball. But something feels different.

Kise smells stronger somehow— vicious.

He dribbles the ball in a smooth motion that is, unmistakably, Aomine's.

Kagami doesn’t pause to think—he runs.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

The moment Kise finally passes him, Aomine can’t quite believe it—it was like looking in a mirror. In the split second he takes for what happens to register, he finds himself already two steps behind him.

And then, something blurs past him—and again he can’t quite believe it. The blur is red haired with a build not far from his own— _“Holy shit that’s Taiga”_ he thinks, and the shock of it all slows down his step for a millisecond—which is enough apparently for Kise to get near enough to jump for a dunk.

Taiga’s there in less than a second, moving to slap the ball away from Kise’s grasp—but Kise crouches, curls into himself mid-air as if expecting it.

Aomine knows the move—it’s his move—and he knows what’s going to happen next. Damned if he was going to let Kise do it.

He runs to position himself near the net and smacks the ball to the ground the moment after Kise tries to shoot it from behind his back. He hears the referee whistling in a background, loud and shrill—a foul he guesses, for Taiga.

“Bastard” Taiga says walking up to him “You took all the glory again”

Aomine snorts, adrenalin pumping in his veins, the thrill of what just happened washing through him. _“That was a close one”_ he thinks _“But sorry Kise—“_ he looks past Taiga and sees Kise staring at them both, equal parts shocked and devastated _“—looks like fate isn’t on your side today.”_

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

The fourth quarter is a slaughter. Coach tells Kagami to double team Kise with Aomine (who’d complained about the arrangement at first), and Kaijou barely got any shots in afterwards. In contrast every time Kise tried to block one of their shots, someone else was there ready to make the basket.

But up until the end, nobody in Kaijou showed any signs of giving up, and Kagami really respected that.

Kise couldn’t get up without help after his last failed dunk. Kagami thought Aomine would help him up but he just stood there and watched Kaijou's Kasamatsu help him up instead, face solemn.

“Are you sure you’re not going to talk to him?” Imayoshi asks Aomine “He was your former teammate after all”

“There’s nothing for the winner to say to the loser” Aomine replies simply, before walking away to line up.

There were better ways too say it, but Kagami pretty much understood what Aomine meant. Anything they said would just make Kise feel worse.

Kagami bows his head and looks away when he sees Kise openly bawling as they line up, Kasamatsu’s hand resting on his head consolingly. He was ecstatic that they won, but he wanted to give respect at least, to someone who did their best.

On their way back to the locker room the entire team is buzzing with energy, and Kagami loses track of how many people tell him he did a “good job”. Wakamatsu also smacks the back of his head far too hard.

“Was it really such a surprise that I played really well?” Kagami wondered – _**aloud**_ he realizes, when Sakurai gives him a confused look.

“Ah…” Kagami looks away awkwardly, wiping the sweat dripping down his chin with his jersey “I mean, I don’t know – you guys, Kaijou, the _**audience**_ , there’s so much shock here I can’t help feeling a little insulted.”

Sakurai smiles “If it helps the senpais and I were pleasantly surprised, and I don’t think Aomine-kun was surprised at all.”

Kagami frowns, it did help a little, but that didn’t mean he was happy with how much everyone had apparently underestimated him.

“Thanks I guess” he says with a grunt.

“ _Well, they_ **are** _pleasantly surprised I’ll give ‘em that”_ Kagami sighs, rubbing the back of his head _“Maybe a little too much in Wakamatsu-senpai’s case.”_

Before Kagami can get into the locker room he spots Aomine slipping out, already dressed to leave.

“ _Where is he going…”_ Kagami wonders, moving to go after him, but the sheer number of people made it difficult to catch up.

“Aomine!” he shouts “Wait up you bastard!”

Aomine doesn’t even stop to look at him. _"This asshole!!"_

“Excuse me” Kagami says, as he sidesteps past a group of purple tracksuit wearing players. “Where the hell are you going!?” he shouts after Aomine “Oi! Aomine you bastard!”

He jogs after him and grabs his left sleeve “Where the hell are you going?” he repeats.

Finally turning to look at him, Aomine says “Home, where else?”

Kagami growls in frustration “But–”

“Ah, Mine-chin?” a voice interrupts from behind him, making Kagami jump.

He turns around to find a huge purple haired guy towering over him.

“Oh hey,” Aomine says dryly “Murasakibara. Been a while.”

“ _Murasakibara?”_ Kagami steps back to stand next to Aomine and squints at the newcomer, thinking him unreasonably tall for a high school student. _“Is he part of the Generation of Miracles too?”_

“It has.” Murasakibara agrees, before reaching into the bag of potato chips in his hands.

“Atsushi,” another voice says from behind Murasakibara, and it’s familiar, in a way Kagami can't quite place “Why did you–”

“ _Oh_ **shit.** _”_ Kagami thinks, going rigid, as a familiar face appears form behind Murasakibara.

“Tatsuya?” he mutters, disbelieving.

“Well, well,” Tatsuya says in English “If it isn’t Taiga, what a surprise to find you here.”

Kagami gapes at him for a moment not knowing what to say. _“Why is he here?”_ his mind screams, unable to comprehend the situation before him.

“I was –” he starts in Japanese, but then thinking better of it, starts again in English “You don’t look surprised at all." the words feel heavy on his tongue "I see you still have that poker face of yours”

“I don’t have a poker face” Tatsuya replies easily, smiling “It’s just my nature.”

Kagami frowns. It's true, but he’s never liked it. That darn poker face of his. It made him wonder if he even knew Tatsuya at all sometimes.

“Who are you?” Aomine interrupts, looking annoyed and confused.

“He’s my teammate.” Murasakibara replies lazily, mouth full of potato chips.

“Himuro Tatsuya.” Tatsuya adds, still smiling, still god awful unreadable. “I’m also Taiga’s brother.”

Aomine’s eyes widen slightly in surprise “You had a brother?”

“Sort of,” Kagami says, staring at Tatsuya's face, trying to gauge his reactions “Not blood related, sworn brothers more like”

“Huh” Aomine looks Tatsuya up and down “Interesting” he says, sounding like he actually means it.

“It’s nice seeing you again Taiga” Tatsuya says, tugging at Murasakibara’s sleeve “But we have to go, we’ll be meeting you at the semi-finals I gather?”

“Yeah” Kagami grits his teeth “If you win”

Tatsuya chuckles “Don’t be silly” he says, before walking away, Murasakibara in tow.

“He looks strong” Aomine comments when they’re some distance away “Your brother I mean.”

“ _A lot stronger than the last time I saw him that’s for sure”_ Kagami thinks.

“The other guy looked strong too, former teammate?”

“Yeah, probably one of the ones I’d have the most trouble against,” he snorts “I’d still win though.”

Kagami rolls his eyes “Of course you would,” he grunts “But Tatsuya’s really good too, if we’re going up against them it’ll be tough.”

“What, you don’t think you can beat your brother?”

“That’s –” Kagami’s not sure how to answer, the memory of his last meeting with Tatsuya floods his mind, painfully vivid. His cheek hurts as if the punch had only been yesterday, and his eyes sting with regret he refuses to show in Aomine’s presence.

“It’s complicated.” he settles on saying.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Aomine asks, annoyed “Either you can beat him or you can’t”

“It’s just complicated alright!” Kagami shouts, more agitated than he meant to sound.

Aomine looks surprised at his reaction at first, but quickly grows angry “Whatever,” he snaps “I’m going home”

“What? Wait!” Kagami grabs his sleeve, but Aomine tries to shake him off immediately.

“Let go asshole!” Aomine growls.

“I bought a kilo of shrimp for you, you bastard, don’t tell me you forgot! You texted me just last night!”

The ire drains from Aomine face in an instant “Shrimp?”

“Wow you really did forget,” Kagami grunts “Look, just let me go change, I’m not wasting my money by letting you bail on me again, go wait by the entrance”

Aomine hold his gaze for a moment before finally muttering “Fine”.

“You better wait for me!” Kagami shouts as he turns around to jog towards their locker room, trying his best not to think about anything else but their latest victory and what exactly to cook for dinner.

When he gets to the locker room Momoi’s waiting by the entrance and practically pounces on him the moment she spots him, her expression really worried.

“Where’s Aomine-kun?” she asks.

“He’s waiting by the entrance” he grunts “Asshole was gonna go home without me”

Momoi raises an eyebrow “Without _**us**_ you mean”

“Ah, well” Kagami scratches the back of his head “We were planning on taking the train, my place closer to the station that Touou is”

“I see” Momoi says, still sounding skeptical. “Did Aomine-kun look tired?”

“Uh, not more than usual? But uhm, look, can I go change? Kinda feel weird in my jersey here”

“Oh” Momoi smiles sheepishly “Right, go ahead. But uhm, you’re sure he looked ok?”

“Yeah,” Kagami frowns “Why is something wrong with him?”

“No!” she replies, a bit too fast in Kagami’s opinion “If you say he looks fine it’s probably nothing.”

“Right” he says, looking at her warily “I’ll go change now”

And as he opens the locker room door he wonders, _“What was that about?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since I updated, sorry for that. School and life got in the way, plus I found this chapter particularly difficult to write. Anyway some interesting things happening here haha. I realized while writing this chapter and reviewing the Kaijou match that Aomine's incredibly moody. He's so hard to handle lmao. Originally I meant for this chapter to be in Aomine's pov entirely, but I ended up going back and forth between him and Kagami instead. I'll probably stick to Kagami's pov in the chapters to come though.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touou's line up for the semi final is a surprise for everyone, and Kagami finds himself having to deal with his past.

“Shit!” Kagami exclaims as he struggles into his school uniform. It had been raining that morning (and in fact, it still is), so he couldn’t go for his usual run. He’d opted to go back to sleep instead, and had forgotten to reset his alarm.

The result, unfortunately, is that he slept through nearly all his morning classes. If he hurries, he’ll get there just in time for lunch. He knows Aomine will complain that he didn’t make anything for him but screw the bastard, Kagami’s late enough as it is; _“Let him buy his own lunch for once”_. He grabs a sandwich he’d bought from the convenience store the day before from his refrigerator, and fumbles with his keys at the door.

“ _Dammit, of all the days!”_ Kagami thinks with a grunt _“Coach is announcing the semi-final starters, and I wasn’t at morning practice,_ **just great**.”

The rain still hasn’t let up so he has to walk to school from the station, if he ran he’d risk soiling his uniform pants. Still (blessedly) he gets there a little after lunch starts so he heads straight to the store to buy himself more food. When he gets to his classroom, he’s surprised to find that Aomine isn’t even there.

“Hello Kagami-kun” Sakurai greets him

“Hey” Kagami grabs a chair to sit with him “Where’s the asshole?”

“You mean Aomine-kun? He’s in the infirmary”

“ _Probably sleeping again”_ he concludes with a nod.

“I’m surprised you’re late today,” says Sakurai “I don’t think you’ve ever been late before this.”

“Yeah I couldn’t go for my morning run cause it was raining, decided I should probably get more sleep and before I knew it….” Kagami trails off, and shrugs, biting into his sandwich.

“Well, at least you’ll still be at afternoon practice”

Kagami nods “Yeah, I’d have skipped school altogether honestly, cause it’s not like I’ve ever missed class or practice before this, but there's no way I’m missing afternoon practice today.”

“You missed something a bit weird during morning practice though,” Sakurai makes a face like he’s not sure if he should share what he’s about to say “Momoi-san asked to talk to Coach alone with a really serious look on her face”.

“ _That_ **is** _a bit weird, normally they talk out in the open."_  Kagami thinks, then aloud he muses “Wonder if it’s about the starter line up for the semi-final.”

Sakurai shrugs “Maybe, I think Coach isn’t as confident as usual since we’re coming up against Yosen. I think even Aomine-kun would have trouble with them.”

“Is it cause of that former teammate of his on that team?” Kagami asks, an eyebrow raised, it was unusual that an upcoming match would cause this much unease “He looked like he was really good, freakishly tall too.”

“Yes that’s a big part of it,” Sakurai nods “But also they seem to have recruited another player who’s really good, though he hasn’t played so many games so the data on him isn’t much.”

Kagami stills, he’s pretty sure he knows who this is. Careful not to meet Sakurai’s eyes he asks “Do you know this player’s name?”

“Oh!” Sakurai’s face lights up, eyes widening slightly as if just remembering something, he bends down to reach into his bag, pulling out a bunch of papers stapled together “Right I forgot to give you these, Momoi-san handed out Yosen’s data earlier.”

“Thanks” Kagami says, taking the data. He scans through it, and immediately finds what he’s looking for: “ _Himuro Tatsuya, Shooting Guard_ ”. He frowns at the sight of the name, wondering again what possessed Himuro to transfer to a school here in Japan.

“ _Unless it’s to see me…”_ Kagami shakes his head _“No, he said he was surprised to see me. Couldn’t be that… Then again, you can never tell if he’s lying with that poker face of his.”_

“Is something wrong Kagami-kun?” Sakurai asks, looking concerned.

“I’m fine," he sets the papers down on his desk "it’s no big deal.”

Sakurai gives him a skeptical look but doesn’t say anything.

Kagami can understand the disbelief. He isn’t sure he believes himself either.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

So far Kagami’s been able to play in two out of three of the games against teams with one of Aomine’s former teammates in them. His chances of starting in the semi-final is pretty high, despite that, he’s still a bit nervous. Not because he thinks might not get picked (although maybe it was a little bit of that), if he was going to be completely honest with himself it’s mostly because part of him wants to run away from playing against Yosen ~~(against Tatsuy~~ ~~a)~~ .

But– no, he can go through this. It’s been more than a year since the thing between him and Tatsuya. He can do this. There is nothing to be worried about.

“You look tense Taiga,” Aomine comments teasingly “Afraid he won’t pick you?”

“Shut up asshole, it’s just the usual nerves,” Kagami growls “Though I guess you don’t get them.”

“Never” Aomine yawns “It’s pretty much a given I’ll get picked anyway.”

It's true, but Kagami doesn’t want to dignify it with an answer.

He’s saved from being accused of ignoring the bastard when Coach finally shows up to make the big announcement.

“After my talk with Momoi-san earlier today, I’ve decided on these five as our starters tomorrow.” he starts, looking strangely grim.

Kagami wonders why he specifically mentions the talk with Momoi that morning, but has no time to think about it before Coach starts dropping names, pausing briefly between each one.

“Imayoshi, Wakamatsu, Sakurai, Susa–”

Aomine pats him on the back consolingly. Kagami glares at him.

“– and Kagami”

“What!?” Kagami exclaims, simultaneously with Aomine.

Around them, everyone seems too shocked to say anything– including Imayoshi, which was unusual. He turns to Aomine to see an angry expression, and follows his gaze to a guilty looking Momoi who refuses to meet their eyes.

“Satsuki!” Aomine shouts, more furious than Kagami's ever heard him. He stalks towards her, steps brisk, body stiffening with rage.

Momoi immediately takes a few steps back “Outside!” she shouts, giving Kagami a pleading look while heading for the gym exit.

Kagami takes it as his cue to follow Aomine as he leaves the room too.

“Satsuki!” Aomine’s still shouting as Momoi leads them down to the back of the high school building.

“ _She wants all the privacy we can get I guess,”_ Kagami thinks _“Geez, I’ve never seen Aomine this angry though”._

“Satsuki!” he screams louder “The fuck did you do!?”

“Well you weren’t listening to me!” Momoi shouts back defensively, turning to them finally “I know the match against Kise-kun is taking a toll you your bo—”

“So you told Coach to bench me?” Aomine snarls “Look at what you’ve done! I’m not even injured! I don’t need you meddling in whatever I do!”

"But you know what you’ll be facing when you meet Akashi-kun in the finals!” Momoi insists “You may–"

"That’s what I meant when I said I don’t need your meddling! You’re not my guardian or anything!” Aomine clicks his tongue “I don’t want to see you again! You or your ugly face!"

“ _Shit he’s gone too far”_ Kagami thinks as Momoi’s eyes start to fill with tears, her cheeks reddening.

“Why’d you have to say that asshole” he says in a hushed voice, wouldn’t help anyone if they were all screaming “That’s going too f–“

“Fine!” Momoi’s shrill voice cuts in, she throws the clipboard in her hands at Aomine.

“Ow! What the hell?”

“I’ve had enough of _**you**_ already!” she shouts “You and your grotesque face!”

“My grotes–” Aomine starts, before Momoi turns and runs away from them and into the rain. “Oi! Satsuki!”

“Shit” Kagami mutters “You’re an asshole!” he shouts, glaring at Aomine, before running after Momoi.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Momoi’s head start was significant enough that Kagami couldn’t catch up with her right away. Kagami wondered if she had a secret knack for running so fast in the rain, or if she was just that determined.

The downpour is so strong that everything around them is actually a little bit blurred. He catches up with her four blocks away from Touou, and makes a grab for her arm.

“Oi, Momoi!” he turns her body to face him “Where are you even headed, you idiot!?”

“I want to see Testu-kun.” she says, head turned away from him.

Kagami’s nose scrunches in confusion “Who now?”

“Tetsu-kun!” she shouts “From Seirin!”

“Oh” Kagami says, stunned “Uh, uhm… Ok” he relaxes his grip on her arm “We’ll go there then, but we should get changed first, this isn’t far from my place, so it won’t take long. I’m sure _**something**_ of mine will fit you.”

Momoi sniffles, before muttering an “Ok”.

The walk to his apartment takes five minutes, during which Momoi is eerily silent. Kagami doesn’t really know what to say to her, maybe this “Tetsu” guy would.

Kagami grabs boxers, track pants and a black t-shirt from his closet before telling Momoi to pick out something for herself.

She walks out three minutes later wearing his Jeremy Lin jersey like a dress.

“You sure that’s all you’re wearing?” Kagami asks “I think I have some old smaller jerseys in there”

“No that would look weird, I’d have to wear one of your shorts, and in these–” she points at her soggy school shoes “– I’d look terrible. Besides, lots of girls wear jerseys like this, you don’t happen to have a hair tie would you?”

“Would a rubber band work?”

“Sure”

“Alright gimme a sec” he shuffles through his kitchen drawers looking for the rubber bands he knows he keeps there “Aha–“ he lifts one out “– here”

Momoi takes it from him, looking impressed “You’re so orderly Kagami-kun”

“I’m normal” he grunts in reply “So you still want to head over to Seirin?”

“Yes” she says softly, tying her hair up into a pony tail “Seeing Tetsu-kun always makes me feel better” then she looks up at him, smiling “Thanks Kagami-kun”

Kagami snorts “I’ve done nothing” he says, as he grabs the umbrella by his front door “Well? Let’s get going"

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

The walls of Seirin’s buildings are pristine white, obviously new and unworn by use. The campus is smaller compared to Touou but it has that sparkle only new schools could ever have. Even under dreary rainy skies, Kagami can tell that much. It’s near the station, which is another plus, had Kagami’s parents bought an apartment in this area instead it would have been a pretty convenient school to attend.

Beside him Momoi is fidgeting impatiently, as if tempted to run towards Seirin’s gym entrance, rain be damned. The only thing keeping her in place is probably Kagami’s umbrella and leisurely pace.

“Calm down” he tells her, starting to feel irked “We’re here aren’t we? Don’t get yourself wet again”

Momoi doesn’t look at him, just pouts and nods, unhappy and obviously wanting to snap at him to hurry up, but relenting.

Once they’re by the gym entrance and the umbrella is no longer needed, she makes a dash for a light blue haired guy screaming “Tetsu-kuuun!!” while she was at it.

Kagami’s lips curl as he watches her and lingers by the entrance, closing his umbrella and shaking off excess water before laying it down on the floor by the door.

“Momoi-san?” the guy named ‘Tetsu’ sounds surprised and bewildered, though his face shows little of these emotions save for a slight widening of his eyes.

It takes a second for Kagami to remember that this is the passing guy Aomine was so fixated on in their match against Seirin. His last name was Kuroko if he remembers it right. It’s a bit stupid of him to forget now that he thinks about it. As if there could be another Tetsu in Seirin that Momoi could be acquainted with. In the rush of events that happened after Coach announced the semi-final starters he didn’t have much time to think about it.

Seirin’s coach and upperclassmen gawk at Momoi and Kuroko in shock, seemingly unaware of Kagami’s presence. A moment passes with Momoi sobbing into Kuroko’s shirt, and Kuroko rubbing her back consolingly looking like he’s taking a moment to think about what to say.

Kagami decides he better get it over with and make his presence known.

“If you keep crying like that you won’t be able to tell him what happened.” Several heads, including Kuroko’s snap to look at him, which makes him flinch “And uh… you’ll ruin his shirt.”

Seirin’s coach is studying him with an eyebrow raised, gaze traveling up and down as if she’s assessing him from head to toe.

“You’re from Touou.” she says, and it’s not a question.

“Uh… yes” Kagami answers, as if it were a question anyway.

She crosses her arms nodding “Aida Riko, Seirin’s coach, pleased to meet you”

“Uhm, same” He give an awkward little bow “I’m Kagami Taiga from Touou, it’s… nice to meet you all… sirs…and uh ma’am… Uh… I mean…”

And he was stammering… great.

The tallest player among those huddled behind Aida chuckles, and the person beside him, who Kagami recognizes as Seirin’s captain, elbow’s his side.

“I’m sorry.” he hears the tall one say to the captain, and then he turns to look at him “Kagami-kun right? We saw you play against Kaijou, no need to be so awkward.”

The fact that they all know him somehow makes it more awkward, but Kagami doesn’t say that.

“Right” he says instead.

“Anyway” Aida says “What brings you two here?”

The statement turns everyone’s attention towards Momoi and Kuroko again, and Kagami swears nearly all of Seirin’s players are staring at Momoi’s legs. He frowns, tries not to think about that too much.

Kagami sighs “Momoi and Aomine had a fight.”

“Dai-chan hates meeee!!!” Momoi wails, finally emerging from Kuroko’s chest.

“I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.” Kuroko says, gently pushing her away by her shoulders so he can look at her face “What did you fight about?” he spares a glance towards Kagami’s direction, making it clear that while he’s asking Momoi, he was free to answer the question as well.

“There’s something wrong with him, Aomine I mean.” only after he’s blurted it out does Kagami realize how vague the statement is.

Thankfully, Momoi seems to have calmed down again “It’s because of the game against Kaijou,” she says, sniffling “Aomine-kun did everything he shouldn’t against Ki-chan, and he wouldn’t listen to me when I told him to tell our coach about it! So I approached coach about it instead.”

“And today,” Kagami adds “Coach announced who’ll be starting for the semi-finals, and Aomine wasn’t one of them”

“And then he got mad at me!” Momoi shouts with a sob “He said he didn’t want to see my face again! He called me ugly!”

Kagami snorts “And then she threw stuff at him, said she didn’t want to see his grotesque face either, and ran away.”

“I see” Kuroko says solemnly “So that’s what happened” he pats Momoi’s shoulders “I think we should go back to Touou and have you speak with Aomine-kun, I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.”

“Uhh,” Kagami scratches the back of his neck “Probably not a good idea right now, I screamed at him before I went after her so he might still be mad.”

“You did?” Momoi asked, surprised.

“Well it wasn’t any worse than the usual, I just called him an asshole.” Kagami rubs his forearm “But you know how he is, when he’s in a bad mood he gets real pissy with even just that, I’ll bring him lunch tomorrow as a peace offering, maybe we could talk to him then?”

Kagami can feel all eyes on him. He shifts his feet, uncomfortable.

“It looks like everything’s under control” Kuroko says, and it almost sounds like a question. His brief glance towards Momoi tells him that it probably is.

“Mmm, Kagami-kun’s surprisingly responsible, yes.” Momoi giggles “He gave me a change of clothes and accompanied me all the way here to cheer me up!”

“Those are his clothes?” Kuroko looks at Momoi sounding amused (eerily, his face still shows nothing of this), but Kagami’s pretty sure the glares boring onto the back of his head aren’t feeling the same way.

“Yeah my house was nearby, and she said she wanted to see you so…” he trails off, looking somewhere vaguely on the upper right corner of the gym.

Kuroko nods in his direction, then turns back to Momoi “We should take you home then, I’ll get my umbrella”

“Ok” Momoi replies, smiling.

Kuroko heads for what Kagami assumes is Seirin’s locker rooms, leaving them alone with the rest of the team.

“Sorry for bothering you” Momoi says to their coach.

“Yeah well” Aida sighs, sounding resigned. She shouts at the other members of Seirin to get back to their drills.

As they trudge back reluctantly at her command, Aida turns to Momoi and asks, “As an apology do you mind telling me what sort of training this guy goes through to get legs like that?” she points a thumb towards Kagami’s direction.

“Oh just a bit roadwork,” Momoi says pleasantly, a tad teasing “With leg weights, sort of like a boxer! He’s been at it for weeks. And unlike _**some**_ people–” she frowns “–he actually goes to practice all the time, which is why unlike _**some**_ people, he didn’t strain himself too much”

Kagami coughs uncomfortably. _“We’ve passed the grief and entered the anger stage now huh?”_ he thinks.

“Hmm,” Aida looks him up and down again “He could still improve a lot... I’m jealous, the potential in this one’s almost as amazing as Aomine’s”

Momoi giggles “Isn’t it?”

Kagami wants to shout that he’s right here, and they shouldn't refer to him as an “it” but he knows it’s probably not that good of an idea considering the people involved.

“Do you have any recommendations for him?” Momoi’s gotten bold, acting like her usual self again.

“I’m not about to give advice to the enemy,” Aida huffs “But a trip to the beach couldn’t hurt him.”

Momoi nods, humming “Noted”

“Shall we go?” Kuroko says, popping out of fucking nowhere making Kagami jump.

“Where did you come from!?” he can’t help but scream.

“I was here, for quite a bit” Kuroko frowns at him “It’s rude to scream Kagami-kun”

Kagami eyes him warily, muttering “Right” as Kuroko walks past him.

Momoi clings to his arm happily, and Kagami sighs _“So that’ll be our walking arrangement huh”_ he thinks, thanking Seirin’s coach with a bow, then following them on the way out.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

The trip back to Momoi’s house is peaceful if slightly awkward because Kagami has to trail back behind the two of them on the train and on the walk back.

“Thank you for taking me home Tetsu-kun,” she says once they’re at the entrance of her house “You too Kagami-kun”

Kagami huffs in response, while Kuroko just smiles.

“I need to go” Kuroko says “They might be waiting up for me”

“Oh that’s right,” Momoi gasps a little “I’m sorry, don’t let me hold you up then!”

“I’m just… gonna head home then” Kagami says.

“Alright, see you tomorrow Kagami-kun!”

Momoi waves at them energetically as they walk down the street and Kuroko gives a decidedly less enthusiastic wave back a couple of times before she’s out of sight.

They walk in silence for a while, but this time it isn’t too awkward. Kagami studies Kuroko a little, marveling at how short he is compared to himself, and how unlikely it seems, just by looking at him, that he could do what he knew he could do in court.

“You know,” Kagami starts, Kuroko spares him a glance “I usually have a good sense for talented people, they smell different.”

They both don’t say anything for a moment, Kagami takes it as a cue to continue.

“But you’re kinda different,” he says “I mean, you don’t really smell like anything at all. But then there’s that thing you do…”

“Thing?” Kuroko raises an eyebrow at him.

“You know, the passing thing… uh…” Kagami shakes his head “It’s stupid, nevermind.”

“Hmm,” Kuroko looks up at him, face blank (or not, Kagami still can’t tell) “I will take that as a compliment” he says dryly.

“You should” Kagami says quickly “I mean, it was pretty amazing, haven’t see anything like it even in America”

“America?”

“Oh,” Kagami coughs “Right uh, I’m a returnee. But anyway, it was cool.”

Kagami hears a faint huff sounding suspiciously like the beginning of laughter.

“Thank you,” Kuroko says “The way you jump is pretty amazing too”

“Uh, thanks” Kagami bows his head a little, feeling a bit embarrassed. “You’re a lot nicer than Aomine’s other teammates.”

“In what way?”

“I mean, I don’t know, the ones I’ve met so far are pretty high and mighty.” Kagami scrunches his nose “That Midorima guy is especially annoying”

This time Kuroko really does laugh a little “He’s a good person, but hard to get along with yes.” he pauses, tensing a little, mouth opening and closing as if he's struggling with what he's about to say.

“About Aomine-kun…” Kuroko starts finally, not looking at him, gaze steadily fixed forward “How is he? He seemed happy, in the game against Kaijou”

Kagami takes a moment to consider how he should reply, remembering the tension between Aomine and Kuroko when he’d last seen them together. Kuroko’s sudden increased formality is giving him all kinds of alarm bells too, and he thinks, it’s probably best to be a little cautious here.

“He was, I think.” Kagami starts “Or, I don’t know, I might not know him well enough. But he looked like he was really amused, so I guess he was. He had the same damn smirk he has whenever I cook exactly what he asked for. So maybe he was.”

Kuroko doesn’t answer immediately, as if thinking on Kagami’s answer carefully. “I see” he says after a moment “I’m glad then”.

They stop walking at the next intersection, “I need to turn right here,” Kagami says “You’re headed left for the station so I guess this is where we say goodbye.”

“Yes,” Kuroko bows respectfully “It was nice talking to you.”

“Uh” Kagami rubs the back of his head “You too.”

Kuroko nods, then begins to walk away, but two steps in, he stops. He turns his head so his face is visible to Kagami, but he's not looking at him. He looks hesitant for a moment, but after a beat he says “I’m glad someone like you is there for them both."

Kagami stares at him in stunned silence. Kuroko doesn't wait for an answer, and walks away. 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Momoi and Aomine’s reconciliation comes quicker than Kagami expected. There wasn’t even really a need for him to intervene apparently. They had both greeted him cheerfully (well, Momoi mostly) the next morning at practice, and engaged in their usual banter, which mostly consisted of Aomine complaining about having to be at practice, and Momoi scolding him (the fact that Aomine was even here however, told Kagami that despite his complaints, his presence was an attempt by him at a roundabout apology).

In any case, it’s one thing off Kagami’s chest.

But as his mind clears, and the stress of the previous afternoon’s events leaves him, he feels a lurch in the pit of his stomach, heavy and sickening. His cheek hurts as the memories flood back into him, persistent and unwelcome.

Without the distraction of Momoi and Aomine’s problems, all that’s left is weight of his own. And part of him, an ugly part of him, wishes that they were still fighting.

 _“I’m glad someone like you is there for them both”_ says the Kuroko in his head, and a pang of guilt spreads inside his chest, his heart squeezing tight.

In a way he was happy that he was chosen. This will possibly be the only time he will start a game, when Aomine will not. It’s an honor, definitely. A flattering show of trust from their Coach, certainly. 

If it were against any other team, Kagami knows he would have been beside himself with joy. As it is, there is nothing now but mixed feelings. Gut wrenching sadness tainting genuine happiness.

“ _If we win tomorrow”_ he thinks _“then it’ll be over for me and Tatsuya”_

It would be cowardly of him, to throw away the match. If he does such a thing, he may never get to play for Touou again, and that is far from what he wants.

Breathing deeply, Kagami mentally steels himself. _“I can do this”_ he thinks _“Winning is the most important thing”_

“Been staring into space for a while there Taiga” Aomine quips teasingly, interrupting his thoughts.

“Shut up” Kagami groans “If you’re just going to sit there why are you even here at practice?”

Aomine snorts, then looks away “Felt like it. And Coach told me to take it easy.”

Kagami frowns “He said take it easy, not ‘do nothing’.”

“It’s the same thing”

“Why do you think you’re in this situation in the first place?” Kagami growls “You need to practice more, ask coach what light exercises you’re allowed to do”

Aomine’s mouth curls in disgust “How about I don’t do that”

“Whatever” Kagami huffs, turning away form him “Suit yourself”

“Someone’s in a mood today” Aomine drawls “I’ve had enough of that from Satsuki so don’t start with me”

Kagami looks him in the eye, his brow furrowing “You should listen to her”

“I already went to see a doctor, so relax” Aomine waves a hand. “More importantly, I heard Murasakibara isn’t playing tomorrow”

“Why?” Kagami asks, eyes widening slightly.

“Didn’t say” Aomine’s expression turns grim, and Kagami finds himself flinching.

“ _Well that’s weird”_ he thinks, still unnerved _“I’m not happy with it, but I guess it’ll mean we have a better chance of winning tomorrow”_.

“Anyway” Aomine yawns “Since that brother of yours is on the team you still might lose tomorrow”

Kagami looks away, offended “What? No confidence in me?”

“Well, that too” Aomine says lazily, and Kagami briskly turns back to look at him, glaring “But it’s mostly cause he’s just that good. I didn’t get that good of a look at him though, and I haven’t actually seen him play” he looks up, smirking “So you might still have a chance”

“Fuck you” Kagami snaps “I’m going to go over there and train with Sakurai, you’re useless right now”

He turns away before Aomine can reply, but as he walks he hears an amused snort.

Gritting his teeth he thinks, _“Asshole”_.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

“You don’t look excited Kagami-kun” Momoi says, looking at him worriedly as the bus takes them to the stadium “Are you sick!?” she slaps her hand onto his forehead “Is it because you ran through the rain? I’m so sorry!”

“What?” Kagami leans back confused “No, I’m not sick I just–” he huffs “Uh, where's Aomine?”

“Hmmm” she retracts her hand but continues to look at him skeptically “He said he didn’t need to be here, so he isn’t going” frowning, she adds “I told him to come anyway, but I think he overslept”

“Ugh” Kagami grimaces “It’s not worth the effort to wake that guy up”

Momoi nods “That’s why I didn’t” she sighs “And I thought he’d changed a little too”

Kagami raises an eyebrow “What do you mean?”

She hums thoughtfully “Just that” she pats her lap lightly, avoiding his gaze, he feels like she’s intentionally dangling a secret in front of him “Ah! We’re here” she stands abruptly just as the bus skids to a halt.

The way the bus shakes makes her stumble, and she squeaks, nearly falling over if not for Kagami grabbing her upper arm.

“Careful” he says, sounding a bit annoyed.

“Sorry” she laughs “And thanks!”

Everyone is visibly on edge as they walk to their locker room, faces stuck in serious looks. Even Wakamatsu is completely quiet, none of his usual loud tirades. _“It’s probably because Aomine actually has a good reason for not being here”_ , Kagami thinks, _“Can’t really complain if the guy had no choice”_.

Aomine’s absence took a lot out of team morale. Kagami could feel the weight of the gloom in his chest and his own problem churning violently in his stomach.

He rubs the area around his navel, telling himself _“Don’t be like this”_ and _“Not now”_ like a mantra.

“Kagami-kun” coach’s voice startles him into attention.

“Sir!” he says, a little too loudly probably.

“I’ve received some news about Yosen’s line-up” his gaze flickers towards Momoi, who’s busy speaking with Imayoshi, and the side of his mouth twitches, unhappily, Kagami notes as he continues “It seems they’ve decided not to let Murasakibara start, or play” he frowns “at all”

“I’ve heard sir” Kagami says cautiously “I thought it was just a rumor”

Coach waves a hand “No, no, I think we can be sure of this. That’s why I’m changing your mark to their shooting guard Himuro”

Kagami grows rigid, back straight and tense. He bows his head, bites his lower lip harder than he probably ought to, draining it of its red color with the pressure.

“Is there a problem with that?” there’s a stern look on Coach’s face when Kagami glances up. His discomfort must be painfully obvious.

_"How embarrassing"_

“It’s just that Tatsu– I mean! _**Himuro**_ is–” he pauses, shakes his head “ _ **No**_ never mind, there’s no problem sir”

Coach narrows his eyes at him. Kagami finds himself breaking a cold sweat.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes” Kagami says, trying to keep his voice firm and steady “I’m fine”

Coach nods, seemingly satisfied. In Kagami’s ears, all that rang was the word _“Liar”_.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Even if Kagami didn’t really feel ok, he told himself that he had to be. Winning this was the most important thing right now, he knew that. If he messed up here he might not get to play a game again until he’s a senior. Even then maybe not. Maybe they’ll find someone else to take his place. After all they still had Aomine. Sometimes it felt like he was all they needed to win.

“ _No”_ Kagami thinks, scolding himself _“That’s stupid, I need to focus. This isn’t like me.”_

Tatsuya is smiling at him when they line up, it makes Kagami feel sick. It looks wrong somehow, like he doesn’t mean it at all. Kagami would prefer it if he was glaring at him instead.

“We’ll finally find out who’ll take the fiftieth victory," Tatsuya says when they take position for the opening tip "Don’t hold back Taiga.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it” Kagami replies quickly, patting himself mentally on the back for managing to say it without hesitation.

Yosen is a big team, physically that is, their average height is higher than Touou’s for one. Even without Murasakibara it was likely that they wouldn’t be getting the first jump ball. From what Kagami can remember, Momoi’s data said that Yosen’s defense is unparalleled. Of course, since Touou has one of the best if not _**the**_ best offenses among all the high schools in the entire country, it wasn’t like they’d be helpless like all of Yosen’s past opponents apparently were.

They even had a game where their opponent didn’t manage to score at all. It was the one game Tatsuya played. Kagami doesn’t know how to feel about that.

The whistle blows, and as Kagami expected, Yosen’s number four beats Wakamatsu at the opening tip. He grabs it with both hands and passes it to their number eleven even before he even hits the ground.

Kagami can hear Wakamatsu cursing loudly, but he doesn’t have time to steal a look at him as Tatsuya starts running, holding his hands out silently as if fully expecting number eleven will pass him the ball. Kagami’s already after him when he sees number eleven move to do just that.

He finds himself cursing under his breath too.

“ _I can’t afford to fuck around, goddamit”_ he grits his teeth _"I need to pay attention!"_

He jumps just as Himuro shots the ball, moving to block it, but to his astonishment, the ball seems to pass through his fingers like it was made of thin air.

He stumbles back when he lands on the floor, slack mouthed, uncomprehending. Vaguely he can hear Imayoshi shouting “Let’s get them back!”, and the distinct sound of the ball hitting the floor repeatedly as someone dribbled it. But Kagami is frozen in place, staring at his fingers, stunned, trying to figure out just how what just happened was possible.

“Snap out of it!” Wakamatsu’s voice and the sting of a slap on the back draws Kagami out of his thoughts.

“Sorry” Kagami says, willing himself to focus on their offense.

“ _There must be a trick to it”_ he thinks as he runs to the other side of the court _“But for now we should get them back like Captain said”_

“Captain!” he shouts stopping nearly at the half court line, holding his hands out. Imayoshi who’s being guarded by Yosen’s number five by the net, doesn’t even look at him, just passes it to Sakurai, who in turn, swiftly passes it to Kagami without missing a beat.

Kagami grabs the ball tightly with both hands, from the corner of his eyes he can see Tatsuya moving to block him. Letting out a loud growl Kagami jumps from the free throw line, dunking the ball in with both hands.

Thankfully, thanks to Wakamatsu, he manages to do so before Yosen’s number four can react.

He lands in a crouch, then slips and ends up in a sitting position. He braces himself with his arms and hands, palms nearly sliding back on the sweat slicked floor. Sakurai steadies him, grabbing his shoulders.

“Are you alright?” he asks, pouting, cheeks puffed looking comically large.

Kagami raises an eyebrow at the expression “Uh… yeah, thanks”

“That number twelve,” Sakurai’s cheeks puff “his shot was beautiful”

 _“Right, this guy’s really competitive with other shooting guards”_ Kagami sighs inwardly.

“Any idea how he did it?” there was no way he was gonna block it if he didn’t figure that out. 

Sakurai huffs again, irately “No good ones”

“Damn” Kagami breathes “Tell me once you do”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

The first quarter ends in a stalemate, their score at 20-20. Kagami knows they’re at a disadvantage though, and from the looks on his teammates faces they know it too. Yosen’s number four is a good center, Wakamatsu’s barely managing to keep him at bay. On top of that Tatsuya just kept scoring with that strange shot and their other teammates were just as good as Touou’s own starters. This’ll be a tough one for sure. 

“Number twelve’s manner of shooting is a problem,” Coach says thoughtfully, fiddling with his hair “Kagami-kun?”

“It felt like it went through my fingers” he grunts “Honestly I couldn’t tell what was happening”

“I heard him call it a mirage shot” Imayoshi adds “Maybe it’s a clue”

“Hmm” Momoi taps her clipboard “My theory is that he throws the ball once before his jump reach’s the maximum point, then he catches it to actually shoot. It’s like a fake.”

“That makes sense,” Kagami agrees “Tatsuya’s really good at fakes, he has his basics perfected too.”

Wakamatsu gives Kagami a strange look, like he’s said something weird.

“What?” Kagami asks, disgruntled.

“You just called him his first name” Wakamatsu says slowly.

“Huh? Oh! Uh…” Kagami looks away “Yeah, he’s… I knew him from L.A.”

He can hear some stunned murmurs around him, whispers of _“Another returnee?”_ and _“So that explains it”_.

“I heard from Aomine-kun that he’s your big brother?” Momoi cautiously cuts in.

Coach eyes widen slightly, looking straight at Kagami, expression demanding an explanation. Wakamatsu and Imayoshi step in closer, as if to hear better.

“Sworn brother, we’re not related by blood,” he fiddles with the ring on his neck, but stops when he spies Momoi observing at the action “But uh yeah, we were close. He wasn’t nearly this good the last time I saw him though, he’s like a different person.”

Coach grunts, looks past them to the other side of the court, rubbing his chin thoughtfully “So you have no idea what else he can do?”

“No, not exactly,” he admits, grudgingly “I can probably guess a few things though, based on how he used to be. I just know we shouldn’t underestimate him.”

“Aomine-kun said he looked like he was good,” Momoi adds “From him that’s very high praise”

“Damn.” Coach sighs “Our set up won’t change, stay on your marks. Stop them, and when you can’t, get them back.”

“Yes sir!” they shout simultaneously, just as the buzzer sounds to signal the second quarter.

“Sure you’re ok Kagami?” Imayoshi asks as they file back into court.

“Yeah, why?”

A slight crease appears on Imayoshi’s forehead “No it’s nothing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [EDIT] haha yeah, I reread it when I woke up and realized I had some glaring mistakes so I fixed it. I should really get a beta... hmmm...


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami's solves his own problems. Or at least he tries to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter so quick? Well I'm trying to get as much out as possible before I have to go back to school again in around 2-3 weeks.
> 
> Also I have a beta now! She's been working on this beginning from chapter one on my request however, so it might take a bit of time before she's fully caught up (since she's also about to get busy w/ school), in the meantime, I can only self-edit. I'm sleepy right now so I might have missed something here. Will try to edit again for typos and similar errors in the morning as usual.

Now that Kagami knows how the “Mirage Shot” works, he has some ideas on how to stop it. His plan basically is to jump only when Tatsuya’s released the ball a second time. That way he has a good view of where the ball actually is, and a better chance to stop it.

It's a simple plan, but effective, he guessed. Hoped.

The second quarter drew on tensely, with the neither team being able to one up each other in terms of score. If Kagami were to pinpoint a difference between them it would be that most of Yosen seems very relaxed despite this, while his own teammates are tense.

Admittedly even Kagami himself felt much more nervous than usual (compounded with all the other emotions that make him feel like he’d been punched in the gut). And though Imayoshi looked cool headed now, he looked uneasy at the beginning of the quarter. That didn’t bode well.

Kagami remembers the feeling of helplessness at the beginning of the Shuutoku match, when he just couldn’t reach Midorima’s shot trajectory. The pressure to make something happen right now is reminiscent of what it had been like then, worse, since Aomine isn’t playing.

Tatsuya hasn’t said anything to him for a while, which in itself is strange, but he also doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to Kagami guarding him. In fact he’s barely touched the ball at all this quarter. Most of their offense has focused on Yosen’s number four and eleven.

It’s a strange shift of tactics, especially since Tatsuya is their best scorer. Kagami thinks he sort of understands though, seeing Wakamatsu struggle with number four and Susa with number eleven. They know Kagami won’t leave Tatsuya alone to assist them, because it’s too much of a risk. But they also know that Touou’s not as tall a team as them, nor is anyone as heavily built as Yosen’s number four.

They were in danger of tiring out soon, and then they’d have a hard time catching up.

“ _I have to make something happen”_ Kagami thinks, gritting his teeth, keeping an eye on Tatsuya but glancing often towards the other players on the court.

Wakamatsu struggled behind number four, knees bent, pressing his arms and face onto his lower back in a struggle to immobilize him. Number four seemed to be barking something or other at him in annoyance.

“ _While they’re still holding in there I have to make something happen”_ Kagami desperately repeats to himself.

Number four passes the ball to number eleven, catching both Susa and Wakamatsu off guard. Wakamatsu slips, falling on his butt with a loud curse, while number eleven moves for a jump shot. Susa jumps a little too late. His fingers graze the ball but it isn’t enough.

Kagami’s already running before he can think better of it. He jumps, a little away from the net, and manages to smack the ball to the ground before it reaches the area above the net.

He can see Sakurai and Imayoshi running to take it as it bounces of the court, but Yosen’s number five is somehow already there, beating them too it.

“Himuro!” number five shouts, passing it to Tatsuya, who, as he stumbles to regain his footing, Kagami spots by the half court line.

Tatsuya slips past Imayoshi and Sakurai who try to block his path, stops by the three point line and moves to shoot. Kagami wastes no time in hurrying to where his, moving around Yosen’s number four and Wakamatsu in what feels like a split second.

He stops a little ways from Tatsuya in time for his first release of the ball, waiting for the second release before he jumps, but then– it never comes. Tatsuya doesn’t toss it up to catch it. He just shoots. A normal three pointer.

Kagami stares dumbly as the ball swishes into the net without touching the hoop. Soundless. Elegant. The net is barely disturbed.

“You’ve figured out how it works,” he hears Tatsuya saying, he turns to see him thoughtfully looking at the net “but weak tactics like that won’t work on me.” he continues “And if you’re still thinking about being my brother I suggest you stop”.

He turns to Kagami then, eyes sharp, filled with hate that Kagami can't bring himself to understand “You and I are enemies right now, come at me like you want to kill me.”

His voice is low, and sharp. It cuts into Kagami’s heart like well sharpened knife.

Sakurai nudges him to move to the other side of the court for their offense, and Kagami numbly jogs with him taking his place near Tatsuya. He tries not to look at his face. He tries not to look at anyone’s face. He’s not sure what face he’s making right now, but it can’t be a good one.

Shakily he takes I deep breath, _“I have to make something happen here”_ he repeats _“We have to win”._

He pretends it gives him enough determination to clear his head. It doesn’t.

 

 

 

 **-o-o-o-o-**  

 

By the time the second quarter ends, they’re six points behind. Kagami’s not sure how it happened. He remembers trying to stop Tatsuya over and over. He remembers failing once. Twice. Too many times than what’s excusable. He remembers scoring once himself. It wasn’t enough, isn’t.

The atmosphere in the locker room is tense. Nobody is speaking save for Imayoshi and Coach who are having a hushed conversation in the corner, Momoi is beside them listening in, whispering a comment now and again.

A few of them jump when Wakamatsu kicks a locker, not hard enough to dent it, but hard enough to make a racket. They try not to look at him. For once they understand. He’d been having a tough time with Yosen’s number four. If this is how he can let out his frustrations all the better. They need clear heads in court especially now.

“Kagami-kun,” Coach’s voice cuts through the silence, and Kagami can feel everyone’s attention shifting to them as Coach approaches him, Imayoshi and Momoi not far behind “We’re pulling you out in the third quarter.”

“What?” Kagami says, breathlessly “But I–”

“You’re holding back.” Coach interrupts him, stern look on his face “I know to expect better of you, and while you’re not playing badly, you’re clearly not giving this your best.”

Kagami rises from his seat “I am!” he protests “I’m doing the best I can!”

Coach grunts, and turns to Momoi, who moves forward to gently put her hand on Kagami’s.

“It’s subconscious,” she says, tone soothing but even. She looks down at her feet, and she’s close enough that Kagami sees her eyelashes flutter as she does this “You may not know it, but you’re holding back.”

“We heard what Himuro said to you,” Imayoshi cuts in, voice a lot less gentle than Momoi’s, but softer than Kagami’s ever heard it to be “I feel like this might only get worse.”

“This is for your own sake as much as the team’s,” Coach adds “We need people with clear heads on the court, and this is too personal to both you and Yosen’s shooting guard for me to allow you to continue.”

“You can go home if you want to,” Momoi continues “We’ll work it out later ok? You’re just having a bad day.”

Kagami wants to say he understands, and he’s grateful, that they don’t seem to have lost faith in him at least. But this, this _**coddling**_ from these three people. People who are tough on nearly everyone they know, is somehow just as bad as the anger he had expected. It’s as if the whole room is feeling sorry for him, and he hates it.

It’s humiliating.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

He gets nine calls from Momoi that night, none of which he answers. He feels bad about it, but he doesn't feel like talking to anyone right now. He’ll talk to her in the morning.

He lays on the floor of his bedroom and stares up at the ceiling fan.  _“What is the ‘low’ option even for in ceiling fans”,_ he wonders _“It doesn’t make any difference to the room temperature at all”_. Although if nothing else, the slow circular motion was at least a relaxing sight. Especially if you wanted to empty your mind.

Kagami closes his eyes. His hand drifts to the ring around his neck, idly rubbing it with his thumb and index finger.

He acknowledges that he has a problem. And he knows, that he has to get over it. He thought he had, in the year that passed, but it seems that despite all his efforts to forget, he hasn’t. It seems that, despite all his efforts to cling to his relationship with Tatsuya, it’s crumbling anyway. And he doesn’t know why.

“ _Maybe I’m too soft”_ Kagami thinks. Aomine would never let personal feelings impair his game. The times Kagami’s seen him get emotional in matches, he even performs better than usual.

His phone vibrates, the sound gets louder as it skids from the carpet and onto the floor. He hesitates for a moment, before rolling on his side and grabbing it, reading the text from the lock screen. It’s from Momoi.

“ _We lost."_ is all it said.

Kagami feels guilt rising up in him like bile. He feels a little lightheaded. He rolls onto his back and closes his eyes again.

“I fucked up” he sighs.

For the first time in a while, Kagami misses his parents. They were never around as much as he wanted them to be, but they’d always been a comforting presence. Their tired smiles and greetings after a long day at work always cheered him up if only a little bit.

Now he just feels a little lost. He knows he has a problem, but he has no idea how to solve it. If it were just a matter of training to get better it would be easier. But Kagami knows that it’s not so much his body that’s weak right now. It’s his heart.

“I _**am**_ soft” he mutters to himself with another sigh.

The phone in his hand vibrates again, a quick look at the screen shows him that this time, he’s got an e-mail.

“ _Might be mom,”_  he thinks, deciding to take a look just in case. It’s not his mom, but it’s pretty close. It’s Alex, sending him pictures from her latest vacation.

Kagami snorts “Good old Alex” he says, then stops, an idea flashing through his head. He sits up, and hurriedly texts Momoi.

“ _Could you tell Coach I want to talk to him tomorrow? Thanks.”_ he types, and he almost hits send, but pauses. After a thought he adds: _“I’m sorry we lost. I promise it won’t happen again.”_

He presses send before he can regret it. Then he calls his parents.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Momoi’s worried.

She’s not sure how she’s ended up with two problem children but here she is, fretting over two boys her own age (though for vastly different reasons). Aomine she’s used to at least. He’s exasperating seventy percent of the time these days but she’s used to it.

Kagami she’s having more trouble with. It’s clear that he has problems with his “brother”, but equally clear is the fact that he’s not willing to talk about it. At least, not without her asking about it first. (And she doesn’t want to do that. She wants him to open up to her on his own. She doesn’t want to rush it.)

Still, the text he sent last night was… concerning. _**Is**_. She knows Kagami is greatly intimidated by their coach, so there are few reasons she can think of as to why he’d ask her to set up a meeting.

She worries he’s planning on quitting, as uncharacteristic as the thought is.

It doesn’t help that he’s completely silent as she leads him to the faculty room. His face is unreadable, thought determined. She has no idea what to expect, but she braces herself for the worst, thinks of ways to convince him not to quit in the event that he wants to.

Despite her efforts to mentally steel herself, however, she finds herself completely blindsided by what Kagami has to say.

“I want to go to back to L.A. for a couple of weeks.”

To his credit, Coach takes it in stride. Signs of being an adult, Momoi decides.

“Alright…” Coach says slowly “May I ask why?”

“I want to go train with the person who taught me basketball,” Kagami looks down “I feel like I was too soft, I don’t know if we would have won or not if I’d done better, but the fact is you were right sir, I was holding back without knowing it.” He raises his head again, expression more determined “My mentor has always been great at beating things into me, and since she was Tatsuya’s mentor as well I think she’s the perfect person to approach about this problem.”

“I see,” Coach nods “That does sound like a good idea, what do you think Momoi-san?”

Momoi jumps a little, surprised her opinion is being asked for on such a matter. She has full confidence in her skills and position on the team, but adults trusting her that much is always flattering.

“I think it’s your decision sir,” she says “But I also think there’s no stopping Kagami-kun now that he’s made up his mind. If nothing else, his mentor would be able to help him improve in basketball. The next time we face Yosen is during the Winter Cup, and by then we’ll have Aomine-kun back. It’s beneficial to us any way you look at it.”

Coach fiddles with the stray lock of hair on his forehead, and hums thoughtfully “I see, hmmm…” he nods “I’ll allow it.”

Kagami visibly brightens.

“But only for two weeks, and when you return it’s straight to training camp. Momoi-san will e-mail you the details once we’ve finalized them.”

“Thank you sir!” Kagami replies, beaming “I won’t disappoint you!”

“Let’s hope you don’t,” the corner of Coach’s mouth twitches “Now then, when will you be leaving?”

“Ah.” Kagami looks away, rubbing the back of his neck “I have a ticket for this afternoon actually.”

Coach raises an eyebrow at him, his mouth parting slightly in what Momoi thinks is his equivalent of a jaw drop. She finds herself giggling at the sight.

“I did say he would stop for nothing sir” she quips.

Coach shakes his head. “You’re both dismissed” he sighs “Just coordinate with each other via email.”

“Yes sir.” they reply simultaneously, bowing respectfully as they said it. Kagami bends down lower than usual.

They’re dismissed again with a wave of a hand. When they step out of the faculty room, they're both smiling.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Aomine arrives at school during lunch time and Taiga isn’t there. He tips his head to one side at the entrance of the classroom. _“Weird.”_ he thinks _“Where is he…”_

“Oi Ryou.”

Ryou bristles like a cat at the sound of his name. It’s an amusing sight, Aomine has to admit.

“A-Aomine-kun?”

“Where’s Taiga?”

“He’s–” Ryou starts, then stops, looking up at him with a bewildered expression “Momoi-san didn’t tell you?”

Aomine raises an eyebrow at him “Didn’t tell me what? She texted me you guys lost if that’s what you’re asking.” he frowns “Don’t tell me the reason he isn’t here is cause he’s sulking.”

“Ah well,” Ryou fidgets in his seat “I think it’s… a bit more complicated than that”.

“Oh yeah?” Aomine drags a chair over to sit across Ryou “Complicated how?”

Ryou hunches, curling inwardly. Aomine pilfers his sausages.

“Uhm…” he looks away, hesitant “Something happened with one of the Yosen’s players, so Coach pulled him out of the match”

Aomine stills, sausage half way in his mouth “This about his brother?”

Ryou nods “Yes.”

“What, they get into a fight or something?”

“Uhm, sort of? To be honest it seemed one-sided,” he frowns “Kagami-kun was pretty quiet.”

Aomine drums his fingers on the desk in front of him impatiently “So what, did Taiga mess up?”

“Not exactly, he didn’t play badly after that.”

“So why’d they take him out then.” Aomine knew he was starting to sound irritated, from the way Sakurai started leaning away from him.

“Well uhm,” there was a slight nervous quiver to Ryou’s voice “He started holding back. Unintentionally! But with the way his brother was mouthing off….” Ryou looks down “They couldn’t keep him in the game.”

“ _So they were pitying him.”_ Aomine thinks, a little irritated. _“What was Coach thinking?”_ it’s just one bad decision after another. First he gets benched and then they bench Taiga for equally invalid reasons. Taiga wasn’t the type to stay down, he’s annoying that way.

“ _Well, he’ll probably back tomorrow same as usual,”_ one side of Aomine’s mouth twitches as he fights back a smirk _“I’ll make fun of him for chickening out then”._

He puts his hand back in Ryou’s bento and grabs a fried egg.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Satsuki ignores him at afternoon practice when he tries to ask if she knows what Taiga’s up to, which he expects because he ignored her texts that morning. The image of Kagami telling him to listen to her more pops in his head, but he waves it away just as fast as it appears.

“ _He’s nagging me even when he’s not around now.”_ Aomine snorts, unsure of how he feels about that.

He’s laying down by a wall on the right side of the gym, bidding his time, waiting for Satsuki to be willing to talk to him again. If she’s upset with him for some reason, better to make up right away then to have it blow up into something irritating.

He yawns, watching her talk to Imayoshi on the other side of the room, a rare grave look on the captain’s face. He squints at the sight, trying to read their lips and failing miserably.

Imayoshi shouts for everyone to gather round. Aomine sits up, but doesn’t move from where he is. Too troublesome. He’s pretty sure he’ll be able to hear everything form here anyway.

“I’m making this announcement so that none of you will start gossiping about this and that.” Imayoshi starts “Kagami-kun’s going back to America for a couple of weeks–” a sudden loud influx of murmurs interrupts him, despite himself, Aomine feels his eyes widening in surprise too “–BUT!” Imayoshi shouts, trying to over power the murmurs. It’s only somewhat effective, but it gets quiet enough that everyone can hear him again.

“It’s only to train.” Imayoshi says firmly “Apparently he has a basketball mentor over there, or so Momoi-san tells me. Anyway, he’ll be back in two weeks and will head straight for training camp, speaking of which…” he trails off, giving way for Satsuki.

Satsuki nods, and looks down at her clipboard “Here’s what Coach has decided for our upcoming training camp…”

Aomine listens to her with only half an ear _“She can fill me in later,”_ he thinks with a scoff, lying back down _“America huh….”_

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

Today's one of those days when Aomine feels like his body’s made of jello and nothing is worth doing at all. The sky is gray, sun hidden by the rain clouds crowding the sky. And as if the dreary weather wasn’t enough, Aomine had to buy his own lunch. Maybe he’s been spoiled. Nothing tastes quite the same these days.

He’s glad nobody’s in the gym right now (something about the match for third place? He’s not sure, he wasn’t listening), since there’s nobody to nag him to practice or whatever else. He spins a basketball on his pointer finger, laying on the gym stage, his head by the edge. He came here thinking he might play on his own for a bit but somehow he ended up laying down here instead.

"Ugh, I’m tired.” he says to the empty room, voice monotonous “I don’t want to move. Maybe I’m getting old. I don’t have any energy.” then feeling his stomach grumbling he adds “I want to eat."

“ _But then I don’t want to get up.”_ he thinks _“How annoying, maybe I should call Tai–”_

“Ah.” he stops himself “That’s right he’s not here huh.”

"Aomine-kun!” a high-pitched feminine voice cuts in, surprising him, he tips his head back to look at the source “I thought you’d be here!"

It’s Satsuki, naturally. It was rarely anyone else. Girls generally didn’t talk to him these days (which is a shame really). Satsuki approaches him while licking a popsicle, face neutral. He narrows his eyes at her. An angry face was better than a neutral expression on Satsuki, neutral meant unpredictable with her.

"What do you want Satsuki?” he drawls.

"I heard you pretended to be sick so you didn’t need to go see the game.” she puffs her cheeks, free hand in a fist and resting on her hip “This one decides if we get third place for the Inter High!"

 _“Ugh, here she goes again”_ he thinks.

"We’ll win anyway.” he waves a hand in a lazy gesture “It’s too much work."

“Sheesh,” Satsuki sighs “You’ve done nothing but mope around since Kagami-kun went to America.”

“Huh?” he rolls onto his stomach to get more comfortable, rests his head on his arm and dangles the other off the stage “What are you talking about?”

“This of course!” she points at him “I thought you couldn’t get any more lazy but you’ve been proving me wrong these past few days.”

“It’s just the weather.” Aomine grunts “Leave me alone, ‘sides it’s your fault I have nothing to do.”

“This again!” Satsuki huffs “I maintain that that was for your own good! Even the doctor agrees with me.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” he yawns, swinging his dangling arm from side to side “So why are you here anyway?”

She bites off the top of her popsicle and then after chewing it says, “Well Sakurai-kun knows you were in class, and when I called your house your mom said you weren’t there so they asked me to check here.”

Aomine raises an eyebrow “Mom’s home?”

“Yeah” she nods, taking another bite.

“Well then,” Aomine lifts himself up, palms on the floor as if doing a push up, he kneels before standing fully upright patting his clothes to get rid of any dirt “Guess I’ll go home.”

Satsuki grins at him “Nowhere else to eat without Kagami-kun around huh.”

He rolls his eyes, jumping down from the stage “Shut up.”

She laughs “Well if you’re going home I guess I’m going with you. I’ll just call coach about it. Ah! But the game’s still on-going maybe I should just text him instead…”

Aomine ignores her and starts walking out of the gym.

“Hey! Wait for me!”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Kagami collapses onto his bed, exhausted from a day of training with Alex. His mom made him dinner when he got home. She really missed him it seems, to actually go home early enough to do that. Kagami smiles at the thought. It was nice, for a change, having someone else cook for him. After more than a year of doing it for himself (and then for other people) it was, in a word, refreshing. He’d showered after and the relaxing feel of hot water on his body made him realize how much his muscles ached.

“ _Alex's killing me with this,”_ he groans into his pillow _“I was the one who asked though, so I can’t really complain.”_

Hearing his phone chime on his table, he reaches out to feel for for it. He lifts his head just enough to peer at who’s messaged him.

“ _Ah. An e-mail from Momoi.”_ he groans rolling onto to his back _“Might be something important from Coach again, better read it.”_

 

————————————————————————————————  
**to:** taiga.kagami10@gmail.com  
**from:** momoi.satsuki@yahoo.com.jp

Kagami-kun!! ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

How is it in America? Have you learned what you set out to learn? Aomine-kun’s been moping around since you left. I didn’t think he could get any lazier but he’s proved me wrong! (￣д￣) By the way did you receive my previous e-mail about training camp? You haven’t replied so I’m a bit worried.  
————————————————————————————————

 

“ _Have I not replied?”_ he wonders, checking his sent folder _“Ah. Well, better reply to this one then.”_

 

————————————————————————————————-  
**to:** momoi.satsuki@yahoo.com.jp  
**from:** taiga.kagami10@gmail.com

Yeah I got the e-mail. Sorry been busy. My mentor’s training is insane. I don’t know if I’ve learned what I wanted to but I’m pretty sure I’m better at basketball now than when I left.  
—————————————————————————————————

 

He stares at his reply for a moment before adding: “You should stop expecting things from Aomine, it’s easier." Then he clicks send. Momoi got way too much grief from Aomine he doesn’t know how she’s put up with it for so long.

“ _Well not like I’ve got any right talk.”_ he grunts _“I put up with him way too much too.”_

His phone chimes again, making him jump a little _“Well that was quick.”_

 

—————————————————————————————————-  
**to:** taiga.kagami10@gmail.com  
**from:** momoi.satsuki@yahoo.com.jp

I would if I could Kagami-kun, I would if I could. 彡(-_-;)彡

Anyway, as long as you’re improving that’s good (≧▽≦) I’ll be reporting to coach about this just so you know. And if you could e-mail me the details of your flight back that would be great!  
——————————————————————————————————

 

He quickly types down his flight details and sends it before putting his phone back on his bedside table. He rolls onto his side, fully intending to sleep but finds himself nagged by the urge to e-mail Aomine too. Probably, he thinks, because of Momoi's comment about him.

“ _I really shouldn’t.”_ he thinks, frustrated that he actually has to convince himself of this _“I should just close my eyes and go to sleep”_.

He rolls onto his back again, placing his forearm over his eyes. _“Sleep…..”_

A moment passes before he sits up growling in frustration “Goddamit I can’t get any rest this way.” he grabs his cellphone and starts constructing a message.

“ _I should keep it short and simple.”_ he thinks _“Stop worrying Momoi maybe? Something like that. Dammit.”_

Finally he types “Go to practice asshole.” and sends it before he can reconsider it. He waits a few minutes for a reply, but falls asleep before he can get one.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Aomine’s phone lights up just at the right time during Classic Lit when his teacher has just about bored him to death.

 _"An e-mail from Taiga."_ he notes, surprised to be receiving such a message. And he has to hold back a laugh when he reads the message itself.

 _"Really,"_ he snorts _"Nagging me again even when he’s not here."_

He looks back up to pretend to listen to his teacher, one hand propped up so he could rest his head on it, the other grasping his phone in his desk compartment, fingers idly going around in a circle over the keypad as he thought on a reply.

When he finally does type something down, he allows himself a small smile.

 

——————————————————————————————————-  
**to:** taiga.kagami10@gmail.com  
**from:** aomine.daiki-sama@yahoo.com.jp

I’ll go when you go. How’s America?  
——————————————————————————————————-

 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami (plus one) returns from America.

“Wake up, wake up!” Momoi exclaims heartily, as she pulls off Aomine’s covers.

She hears a whine and a mumble that sounds something like _“five minutes”_ while Aomine remains stubbornly immobile on his bed. He’s lying on his side, his back to her, face smushed into his pillow.

When they were younger Dai-chan would willingly wake up early so he could play basketball or catch bugs or crayfish. Whenever she went to his house early to wake him he would immediately shoot up from his bed, eyes blinking rapidly, back straight, pupils dilating and sparkling with wonder and excitement for a new day.

She remembers that boy fondly and keeps him close to her heart for all the times she has to wake him for morning practice (and for the rare times she finds herself rethinking her decision on following him to Touou). Because these days, it is just too damn impossible to get him out of bed. Even when he was awake, he tended to linger there. As if he liked to delay facing a new day as much as possible.

Momoi clicked her tongue. This wouldn’t do.

She kicks the mattress just enough so the bed rocks back and forth a few times. Aomine groans as the bed creaks, one eye opening slightly.

“I said five minutes.” he says, voice low and rough. Momoi would find the tone a little worrying any other time but the slight rasp in his voice that being half-awake gives takes away a lot of the edge.

She fists her hands, placing them on her hips “We need to get to school quickly!” she huffs “Training camp starts today and we can’t get left behind!”

And then, smiling a little, she adds “Also Kagami-kun e-mailed me, he’s headed for the airport already.”

Amusingly, this gets his attention (as Momoi had expected), if only a little bit. He rolls onto his back, at the very least, and opens both of his eyes slightly, gazing up at her.

“Yeah?” he asks, sounding like he doesn’t believe her for some reason.

“He is. You can even check.” she drops her phone onto his stomach and his eyes shoot open as it bounces there and his hands fumble to grab it.

He throws a glare at her, the effect of which is weakened by his sleep disheveled state, then flips her phone open to look for said e-mail.

“Oh yeah look at that” he drawls, statement dissolving into a yawn “He probably sent me an e-mail too.”

“You’ve been talking to him?”

“Shut up.”

That’s a yes then, Momoi thinks. She covers her mouth suppressing a laugh.

Aomine hands her back the phone as he sits up, scratching his belly. He yawns and blinks his eyes repeatedly, shaking his head, forcing himself all the way awake before throwing his legs over the side of the bed and finally standing.

“About time,” she says “please get ready quickly.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Kagami likes sleeping on planes (he’s awake for the food of course but he conks out pretty much right after the stewardess takes his trash), so whenever he has to ride them he’s never too disoriented once he reaches his destination. Even when it was flights like these which took half a day. It’s a gift.

“I’m interested in meeting your teammates.” Alex says, while they're at baggage claim. She’d insisted on flying to Japan with him to oversee the rest of his training, but also, and this is more probably her main reason, he thinks, to sight see.

“You can’t stay at the inn with the team.” Kagami sighs, having been over this a few times already “It’s not a huge inn, just enough to fit all of the first string and the few people from the second string who’re there. Plus our coach and manager of course.”

“Well then I’ll bunk with your manager.” she says. This isn’t a new retort either.

Kagami narrows his eyes.

“She’s not gonna get any rest with you around.” he says accusingly “You’ll chat her up all night!”

He gets a few curious looks from the people around them, probably in equal parts for the fact that he spoke in English, the loudness of it, and the very blonde white person he's speaking to.

Lowering his head he adds in a whisper “We’ve been through this, I’ll take you to my place and then–”

“Nope.” she stomps a foot and turns to him seriously “I’m here for your training. I’ll just find a hotel, if you’re so insistent of banning me from your inn.”

Kagami sighs, feeling defeated “Fine.” he says “ _ **Fine**_ , find a hotel. Guess it’ll be good to have you around for training anyway.”

Alex laughs “Just training? How mean, oh pupil of mine.”

“Shut up.” Kagami huffs “Oh look there’s your bag.”

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Momoi’s phone goes 'ping!' as it alerts her to a text midway through lunch. She excitedly plucks it from her pocket, catching the attention of everyone in the same table as her. She’s eating with the starters who all have some concern, mild to moderate, about what this text is no doubt about.

“It’s Kagami-kun.” she says for their benefit “He says he’s on a taxi, already on his way here.” then she furrows her eyebrows, staring at her cellphone screen in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Imayoshi asks after she remains silent for more than five seconds.

“He says he has company?” she says it like a question, she’s unsure of what to make of this. “Ah, hold on he’s sent another one.”

She takes a moment to read through it before speaking again “Alright so it’s his mentor!” she says, now more upbeat “He says he’ll drop his mentor off to a nearby hotel before coming here so he’ll probably arrive late in the afternoon.”

“Does this mean his mentor plans to watch our training?” Susa wonders aloud.

“Probably.” Imayoshi says “They probably want to keep track of Kagami’s progress and scope out our team.”

“Maybe they’ll give us pointers too.” Wakamatsu interjects.

“Maybe.” Imayoshi says, sounding like he didn’t actually think so.

The conversation dies there and they resume eating in silence. Momoi shifts her gaze to the two who’d remained quiet throughout it. Sakurai is understandable, he was a bit shy with them, even now. She’d seen him initiate conversations with Kagami and Wakamatsu, but normally he only spoke when spoken to, or when he was saying sorry.

Aomine’s silence on the other hand is unusual and therefore interesting. Normally he’d have thrown in a short comment (at the very least) when he cared for the subject. This time, although Momoi had seen his head perk up in interest, he hadn’t said a word.

Stranger still, he’s currently grinning at what Momoi can only assume is either the latest Horikita Mai photobook or his cellphone. He has one hand holding a spoon and bringing food to his mouth, the other, hidden beneath the table holding whatever it is he’s grinning at.

She leans towards him as discreetly as he can, trying to listen for a page flip, but hears instead the faint unmistakable mashing of a thumb on a cellphone keypad. She sips her drink and thinks _“Interesting…”_

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

“ _I heard you’re back.”_

Kagami frowns at Aomine’s text, wary of how it states nothing but the obvious. Alex presses onto his side as she tries to read the text as well.

“Is that your cute manager?” she coos.

“No.” Kagami says, typing up a simple _“Yeah I am.”_ in reply “Just someone annoying.”

“Oh yeah?” Alex asks with a grin, just as Kagami’s phone alerts him of Aomine’s reply.

“Yeah.” Kagami frowns at his phone.

“ _Good.”_ the text said _“The food here’s terrible, you need to do something about it.”_

“He’s also an asshole.” he grumbles, stuffing his phone back into his pocket, deciding to not even bother with a reply.

Alex pokes his chest and he swats her away.

“But you like him?” she asks, in that tone that suggested she was fishing for an answer.

“I don’t know.” Kagami replies, crossing his arms and sinking into the backseat of the taxi.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Kagami settles Alex into her hotel and arrives at the inn where the team is staying at around quarter to five pm. He texts Momoi just as the building comes into sight, so she’s outside by the entrance when he gets there.

“Welcome back Kagami-kun!” she says, bouncing on her feet once, all smiles.

“Uh, thanks.” he says “So who am I bunking with?”

Momoi grins and already he knows he’s not going to like this. “Why Aomine-kun of course!” she says like he was being silly and it should have been obvious.

“Great.” he grunts “No one else wanted to do it?”

She just gives him a look, one eyebrow raised, saying nothing.

“Right.” he says “Of course.”

She takes him to the front desk to get his key then leads him to the room he’ll apparently need to share with Aomine for the next twelve days.

He grimaces at the impossibly messy state of things, clothes and empty bags of various kinds of snacks everywhere.

“Haven’t you guys only been here for two days!? Less!?” he shouts in disbelief.

“Yes.” Momoi says, sounding appropriately sorry for him at least.

Kagami sighs tiredly “Just _**great**_.”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

 

After Kagami clears at least his own bed and settles his things on his side of his shared room with Aomine, Momoi takes him to the building where the team’s practicing, telling him that he doesn’t need to join in at least for now (they’re almost done for the day in any case).

They manage to catch the tail end of a practice match. Aomine’s taking part, surprisingly, but, spotting Coach across the room, Kagami comes to some easy conclusions as to why.

Aomine’s zigzagging swiftly past the other players, the usual flurry of fluid and unpredictable movements. He effortlessly bypasses any attempt at a screen, and dunks the ball into the basket, rattling the board. Aomine doesn’t stumble when he lands on his feet, instead he smoothly breaks off into a sprint.

“ _Always so goddamn amazing.”_ Kagami thinks.

It’s a difficult feat, to run as soon as your feet hit the ground after a jump. More difficult still, to achieve movement as fluid as Aomine’s, where there was no pause whatsoever in between. As soon as Aomine’s right foot hits the ground he’s already pushing himself forward. Not a single wasted, the end of his jump is simultaneously the beginning of his sprint.

Kagami admits that in comparison, his own footwork is clumsy. Although at least, he thinks, soon even Aomine wouldn’t be able to defeat him in an aerial battle; or well, that was his plan.

Absorbed in thoughts of his own training, it takes Kagami a moment to realize that Aomine’s barrelling towards _**him**_.

“Yo.” Aomine says as he stops in front of him “Join in.”

“Aomine-kun!” Momoi scolds “Kagami-kun’s just come from a long trip!”

“Huh? It’s fine.” Aomine replies, rolling his eyes.

As the two of them fall into a squabble Kagami sighs, too tired to do anything about it. He decides to simply wait for them to get sick of fighting, and scans the large room they’re in while he does.

It’s a function hall originally, he thinks, with sturdy wooden floors and high ceilings. They’ve installed tall basketball hoops (taken from an outdoor court he guesses); a good place to practice since they never need to worry about the weather.

Behind Aomine, the practice game seems to have halted, Kagami can see Imayoshi and Susa speaking with Coach, glancing towards their direction a few times. He makes eye contact with Sakurai who gives him a little wave (which he returns), and then sees Wakamatsu glaring daggers at Aomine’s back. Judging by the colors he’s wearing he was teammates with Aomine in the practice match (that was probably a really interesting thing to watch, Kagami thinks).

He hears a familiar someone shout “Taiga!” behind him suddenly, but he ignores it, preferring to believe that Alex listened to his request _**just this once.**_

But evidently she hasn’t, because he then hears a loud “Finally found you!” spoken in English.

Momoi and Aomine both stop talking to look behind him to see who the new arrival is, and against his better judgment, he follows suit turning his entire body to face–

And of course Alex is kissing him, of course. Smack right on the lips, _**of course**_.

His entire body bristles and he grabs her hood, roughly pulling her away from him and screaming “How many times have I told you not to do that!” in English. _**Geez**_ that was disgusting Alex is kinda like his second _**mom**_ and just _**eww**_.

He hates it when she does that.

“You can’t just keep kissing people.” he adds indignantly.

“Oh come on.” Alex frowns at him “I only do that to girls and children, no harm done.”

Kagami slaps his forehead too damn tired to reply.

He turns to Aomine and Momoi, starts to say “So this is my mentor.”, but stops at the word “is” upon seeing that Aomine’s gone completely still, eyes wider than Kagami’s ever seen them, mouth hanging open.

Momoi is looking shocked too, but she’s at least looking back and forth between Alex and Kagami, looking like she’s calculating what she ought to say.

Kagami doesn’t want to look at the rest of his teammates expressions right now, though he’s pretty sure he heard Wakamatsu scream when Alex kissed him.

“ _Why does she always do this?”_ Kagami grunts.

“Oh is this your manager?” Alex approaches Momoi before Kagami can stop her.

“Alex wait!” he shouts feebly.

Momoi shrieks as Alex presses her lips to hers. She quickly pushes her away with all her might, babbling something incomprehensible. Kagami makes a mental note to apologize to her later on.

Kagami sees Coach approaching them, and his posture straightens in attention almost automatically.

“You’re Kagami’s mentor I assume?” Coach says, in English, his accent heavy, but his intonation confident.

“Japanese is fine.” Alex says, shifting into said language “Taiga taught me so I’m pretty fluent.”

“I see, that makes things easier. I am Touou’s coach.” he holds out a hand “Harasawa Katsunori, nice to meet you.”

She takes the offered hand and shakes it “Alexandra Garcia, nice to meet you too.” she squints “You look familiar, your name sounds familiar too.”

“I was on the Japanese national team.” he says simply, and Alex says a brief “Ah” in reply, nodding. Then coach adds “You are familiar as well.”

“WNBA.” Alex says “Retired.”

“Ah.” Coach says, much like Alex had.

Kagami feels like there’s something going on here that he doesn’t know about but he kinda rather wouldn’t get into it (but wow, Coach was on the National Team? who knew). Beside him Momoi’s still freaked out by the kiss and Aomine’s staring at his shoes like they’re both annoying and confusing. Weird.

“I heard from Momoi-san that you will be observing us.” Coach says.

“If it’s not any trouble.” Alex replies, although Kagami knows she’d stay whether or not it was any trouble.

“It is no trouble at all.” Coach assures her “We would also appreciate any advice you have to offer.”

Alex nods, humming thoughtfully. “I’m interested in your team. Taiga was talking about a really good player.”

“I see. He must have meant Aomine-kun.” Coach turns his gaze towards Aomine, who is now back to normal and is staring at Alex’s chest.

Kagami grimaces and attempts to kick his shin. Aomine dodges.

Alex looks Aomine up and down, smile creeping up her face. Kagami knows this can’t be anything good.

“How about a little one-on-one with my dear pupil, Aomine-kun?” she says.

Alright maybe she _**does**_ say good things sometimes, Kagami concedes.

“Heh.” Aomine smirks “Sure.”

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

They end practice after their one-on-one, which not surprisingly, Aomine won (but just by a little bit! Kagami _**swears**_ that this time it was pretty close). At dinner, Momoi, who had recovered from getting kissed, and Alex, who was finally not being embarrassing, hit it off pretty well. The conversation mainly revolved around basketball, Momoi trying to gather all sorts of information, taking advantage of a former WNBA player’s presence thoroughly. It was just as intimidating (if not more) as Alex’s conversation with coach, Kagami shivers.

Sakurai and Wakamatsu asked him a lot about his training and his trip back to America, but there was sadly, not much to tell aside from Alex leaving him with the wolves (i.e. players much older, bigger, and more skilled than him) and him running at the beach a whole lot. He also went surfing just once instead of running (the lure of the waves and his old surfing buddies getting the better of him), but he decides not to tell them about that since Alex had actually scolded him for it.

Aomine speaks once throughout the entire meal to ask about the people Kagami played against but afterward he’d seemed bored with their conversation. They’d e-mailed each other when he was in America, though they were just short and not very detailed messages (compared to the novella length correspondence Momoi demanded of him). Kagami guesses that whatever Aomine wanted to know about his trip, he’d probably already asked. And so it was only natural that he wasn’t interested.

He retires to his room after finishing up dinner, taking a bath (a nice long hot one), and sending Alex off on a taxi. There he finds Aomine lying on his stomach, shamelessly flipping through a magazine full of busty girls in bikinis while eating a bag of potato chips.

Kagami feels like he’s gonna pop a blood vessel.

“What do you think you’re doing.” he says, voice low. He hopes Aomine catches his bubbling anger because he _**swears to God**_ —

“I’m not letting you borrow this if that’s what you want.” Aomine says, tugging the magazine toward himself a little.

“Of course that’s not what I want!” Kagami shouts “What’s up with this mess! Can’t you at least throw your clothes into a pile!? They’re fucking everywhere! Even on my bed!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Don’t 'yeah, yeah' me asshole, we’re gonna be swimming in ants if you don’t throw these wrappers in a proper trashcan, and it’s going to smell like shit if you don’t do something about your clothes!”

“I doubt that’s going to happen.”

“What do you mean you doubt that’s–”

“Something wrong here?” Imayoshi pipes in from behind him.

Kagami steps aside, scowl on his face, and points at the mess of a room.

“This!” Kagami exclaims, sounding thoroughly appalled.

Imayoshi immediately looks disgusted at the sight but doesn't do anything to reprimand Aomine. Instead he pats Kagami’s shoulder consolingly and says “Good luck. Lights out in ten minutes.” before continuing on down the hallway to (presumably) check on the other rooms.

Kagami gapes in his wake, disbelieving. He turns back to their room, growls, and starts picking up Aomine’s mess (and all the while the bastard continues to browse his stupid magazine).

“A goddamn sacrifice,” he thinks “of fucking course.”

 

 

-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Kagami doesn't know if the two week separation re-sensitized him to Aomine or if he really was just ten times more infuriating now. It was like he was intentionally being a handful to get on his nerves even. Kagami's not sure how he'll last one more night of this let alone twelve.

Maybe _that_ _'s_ it. The fact that they're roommates. Whereas before, Kagami didn't have to suffer his presence at home now he had to suffer it twenty-four-seven. Maybe he just needs a break.

He tells Momoi about this dilemma while they're in line for lunch, and is surprised and somewhat annoyed to receive a laugh in reply.

“What's so funny?” he asks, wondering if she found some enjoyment in someone else suffering being stuck to the hip with Aomine.

“You give him too much credit Kagamin.” she says “Dai-chan is _**twenty**_ times more annoying than usual.”

He frowns “Somehow that doesn't make me feel better.”

“He'll calm down eventually,” she pats his back consolingly “when he's done getting excited about you being back that is.”

Kagami's mouth twists, eyebrows shooting up, a bit surprised. He turns away, fighting down a blush “W-What are you talking about!?”

“I think he's pretty happy about meeting your mentor too,” she continues, as if he'd never spoke “for basketball reasons and some other inappropriate ones.”

Their training that morning had been at the beach and Alex had shown up in the bikini. Kagami will admit to kicking Aomine once or twice for not-so-discreetly attempting to stare. Others had gawked at her as well but something about the way Aomine did it pissed him off a hundred times more.

“But enough about him,” Momoi waves a hand “do you think you're ready for the Winter Cup Kagami-kun?”

She avoids his gaze when she says it. Kagami can tell what she really means to ask is if he's ready to face Tatsuya again.

“I don't know.” he says honestly “Alex said I need to strengthen my resolve because right now Tatsuya has way more of that than me.”

“I can't really give you detailed advice because I don't know the full story,” she glances towards him briefly, then looks away again “but from what we heard in the last match, I'd say what Himuro-san has that you don't is a single-minded desire to win and be the best.”

“But I want those things!” Kagami protests. “I don't–”

Momoi turns to him abruptly, and looks at him squarely in the eyes. The sad smile on her face makes the rest of his sentence die in his throat.

“You're softer than you think Kagami-kun,” she whispers, loud enough for only Kagami to hear “some things are more important to you than winning. You're a better player than most people on this team, and I think everyone knows you're only going to get better, but everyone also knows that you're soft.”

Kagami looks away, scowling. He doesn't want to agree with her, but he can't bring himself to say anything to disagree either. Maybe she has a point. But hell, what was he going to do about it?

It's not like he could force himself to feel one way or other. But then he didn't want to be stuck this way either.

That afternoon he goes through practice like an automaton– he follows Coach's orders, sometimes Alex's, scolds Aomine for being a lazy ass. Rest. Practice. Rest.

He thinks about Momoi's words the entire time, her voice ringing at the back of his head.

He knows of course, that there are things more important to him than winning. But wasn't that true for everyone? Is Momoi saying there shouldn't be anything?

Kagami won't deny that most of Touou thinks this way, and he won't deny that lately, he occasionally feels the same. But he also won't deny that there are things he's not willing to sacrifice.

One of which, unfortunately for his team, is his relationship with a very troublesome player from a rival team.

Is Momoi saying that he should be willing to sacrifice that to win? Is _**Alex**_ saying that? He doesn't understand it.

Maybe it's just that he doesn't want to. Kagami doesn't know.

Either way, he knew that they were telling him to let go of something. To choose. But what were his choices really? Defeat Tatsuya... and then what? It's not that he wanted to lose, but against Tatsuya winning didn't seem so great either. Almost empty even.

But if they didn't win... no, if _ **he**_ fucked up, regardless of whether they won or not, it'll be all over for his high school basketball career. His teammates would shun him for sure. Making the mistake once is pitiable, twice is unforgivable.

Aomine would... probably stop talking to him. He'd likely pretend he never existed even.

Kagami's stomach lurches at the thought. _“_ _No_ ,” he thinks _“I don't want that either.”_

He swallows the lump in his throat and closes his eyes.

“ _What a headache.”_

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

As they're just lounging around in their room waiting for lights out, Aomine stares at the ceiling looking as if he's contemplating on something very deeply.

“ _If he has time to be like that,”_ Kagami thinks _“he should help me clean up his mess.”_

Needless to say he still wasn't enjoying this sneak preview into what it's like to cohabit with Aomine. He's just about finished stuffing the last of the empty snack wrappers into a plastic bag when the bastard finally speaks.

“Hey about your mentor.”

“She's married so don't get any ideas.” Kagami says without looking at him, tying up the end of the plastic bag.

“Not what I was going to say.” replies Aomine, sounding offended. “Just wanted to know if she'd accept if I asked for a one-on-one.”

“ _ **Oh**_ well,” Kagami scratches his nose, and places the plastic bag by their door “Probably.”

Clicking his tongue impatiently, Aomine asks “So I can ask her or what?”

“Alex is unpredictable,” he sighs, plopping down onto his bed “so go ahead, but don't get too disappointed if she says no.”

“I won't.” Aomine yawns.

There's a knock on their door. Momoi pops her head in and says “Lights out in five!” before hurriedly pulling it shut.

“Try not to ogle her when you ask.” Kagami says after a beat.

Aomine snores.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be reverting the summary to the old one because it just feels like it captures what this fic is really like more? haha. Anyway :| gender neutral pronouns, why does English not have them. Also Alex was surprisingly hard to write! Idk how well I did with her honestly haha. I wonder if it was obvious how Aomine was feeling in this chapter hmmm... Also! I'll try to have one more chapter up before my new school year starts. Hopefully I manage :)
> 
> Btw, if you have any questions I'll gladly answer them :) I'm sorry if I don't reply to comments too much, I don't know what to say most of the time. But thank you to all who comment! They mean a lot to me :)
> 
> [EDIT 08/10/14: I made a mistake Alex isn't married BUT well, I'm keeping that bit here anyway because I realized that I like the idea of it haha. As for when this supposed marriage would have taken place, let's say.... a little after Kagami left for Japan? ANYWAY. So I wasn't able to finish another chapter and I'm going to be busy again starting this week, can't promise when the next chapter will come, but rest assured it will come :)]


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine and Kagami have a confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I am on hiatus from tumblr, this is the first time I've posted a chapter here before I posted it there. I will upload this chapter in ff.net tomorrow after I edit this chapter here another time. My next update will also probably be posted here first.
> 
> I'm sorry it took so long to update, life hasn't been too good for me so I had a difficult time writing. Plus, this fic in particular gave me a difficult time for some reason haha. I expect there to be more or less ten more chapters for this fic before the end. That is, if everything goes according to plan.

Kagami knows he probably shouldn't find it so funny, but the look on Aomine's face as Alex dissolves into shameless guffaws is just so goddamn hilarious he can't help himself. He takes a lot of shit from Aomine anyway, he deserves to get a good laugh at his expense once in a while.

Alex mutters “sorry” over and over in between chuckles, and it takes her a while to get herself together enough to form coherent speech. As she clutches her stomach, wheezing, you could plainly see Aomine's face turning red. Kagami tries to hide behind Wakamatsu since he's shaking so badly with barely suppressed laughter, but he's pretty sure people can still see him.

“Oh, I'm sorry.” Alex runs a hand through her hair, heaving a breath “That just brought me back, I haven't heard a challenge that arrogant since– haha –wow since I first met Taiga!”

Alex shoots Kagami a leer, and his amusement evaporates completely. “You're so alike, so hot-blooded.” she grins “No wonder he's taken to you!”

“I'm not taken with him!” Kagami shouts, in English so everyone else would have trouble understanding. He can feel his face heating. He spots Aomine studying him with narrowed eyes, obviously wondering what he'd just said. Kagami avoids his gaze.

“Touchy.” Alex replies, also in English “Denial isn't pretty Taiga.”

Kagami knows that his face is probably beet red so he turns around to face the wall with a humph, a feeble attempt at hiding himself.

“So is that a yes?” he hears Aomine say. Kagami wonders what in that conversation (if you could call it a conversation) could have possibly led him to assume that.

“No it isn't, sorry hotshot.” Alex replies, laughingly, though not without a hint of genuine remorse.

Aomine frowns, shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“Don't be too down, you probably wouldn't have gotten what you wanted anyway, there's a reason I'm retired.” she grins “If you want a one-on-one ask Taiga, you're good practice for him.”

“If only the opposite were true.” says Aomine, making Alex laugh again.

“Hey Taiga! Are you just gonna take that!”

“Of course not!” Kagami shouts, still facing the wall. “Just you wait you bastard I'm going to beat you someday!”

“Why aren't you looking at us?” Aomine asks mockingly, just as Alex says “Someday?”

“Shut up!” Kagami exclaims, as an answer to them both. He continues to glare at the wall in front of him trying to will away the blush that he knows is still there.

“Uhm, excuse me,” he hears Momoi say “but I think all this shouting is starting to get in the way of practice.”

“Oh! I'm sorry.” says Alex “Guess it's about time I head out huh?”

“Oh no! You're free to stay!” Momoi sounds slightly panicked.

“It's fine, I planned to get some sightseeing done this afternoon anyway. I'll be back later to check up on my dearest pupil, where's your coach?”

“He had to meet with the owner of the inn.”

“Well then, if he asks, you know what to tell him. Oh, and Taiga!”

Kagami grudgingly turns towards her direction “ _ **What?**_ ” he snaps.

“Work hard.” she grins “Let's have a talk about some things later.”

“Uh... right.” he doesn't like the sound of that. “See you then.”

“See you~” Alex sing-songs on the way to the hall's exit.

Kagami sighs as she watches her go, shoulders slumping. He wonders what she could have in store for him later. He hopes it's related to training and not just something inane.

From the corner of his eye he spots Aomine walking towards him. Kagami's posture stiffens reflexively.

“She said no.” Aomine says as he approaches.

Kagami glances up at him and finds Aomine giving him a look like he wants an explanation. His eye twitches.

“Yeah we all heard.” he sighs “And I did warn you, you have no one to blame but yourself.”

Aomine grunts “Thought she'd say yes.”

“Why do you want to play against her anyway? You wanna to see how you measure up to a pro?”

“HA no. I don't know, seemed like it'd be interesting. If she doesn't want to then whatever.” he yawns “I'm just gonna head back to our room, I need a nap. The wake up call was too goddamn early, and it's too warm to do anything.”

“What are you an old man?” Kagami asks incredulously “Don't skip practice!”

Aomine ignores him and sluggishly walks toward the exit. Wakamatsu shouts “Get back here Aomine!” but Imayoshi holds him back before he can run towards him.

Kagami sighs _“Typical._ ”

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Aomine wakes up to the rumbling of his own stomach. It's seven in the evening on the wall clock of their room, which, unfortunately for him, meant that he'd slept through dinner. Cursing inwardly, he sits up, scratching his belly, lazily pulling himself off his bed.

He looks around his bag for his wallet, thinking it best to just go buy himself something from the nearby convenience store. His stock of chips was beginning to run out anyway, it's good timing. He puts on his running shoes, thinking he could get a bit of exercise while he was at it.

He runs into a few of his teammates on the way out, but they pay him no mind. Aomine knows that most of his teammates are afraid of him, and would never talk to him unless he talked to them first. He prefers it that way, fraternizing with any of them was really just a waste of time. Troublesome. Unnecessary.

The regulars if the team are the only ones who make some effort at socializing with him, but most of them knew to give him his space. Only Satsuki, Wakamatsu, and Taiga tried to meddle with the way he did things, something even their coach never bothered to do.

Usually he finds Satsuki and Wakamatsu's nagging annoying, but he's learned to filter them out for the most part. Taiga's a bit of a different story. For some reason or other, it's difficult to drown him out. Not that it mattered much to Aomine, since lately instead of being annoying Taiga's nagging was more amusing than anything. It had somehow become pleasant background noise.

It's strange because Aomine has no idea what makes his nagging any different form Satsuki's or Wakamatsu's. Possibly the fact that Taiga had more blackmail material on him? But then it wasn't really blackmail now was it? After all Aomine could easily turn to Sakurai for lunches instead. Though it wouldn't be quite the same he'd have to admit.

Once at a convenience store, he frowns at their selection of bentou. Most things are inferior to what Taiga cooks, that's for sure. He doesn't know what Taiga does to make his cooking so addictive but it's working. Most other food (except perhaps his own mother's home cooking, which he will probably be biased toward for his entire lifetime) have been thoroughly ruined for him by Taiga.

And, Aomine thinks, that's why he can't just turn to Ryou for lunch now. Taiga had to take responsibility.

Aomine just grabs a bentou at random, and buys himself ten bags of chips and five packs of caramel pudding. He buys the largest bottle of water he can find as well, and all his purchases make the cashier look at him quizzically. Aomine glares at him, daring him to comment. He doesn't.

To avoid shaking the pudding too much and making it crumble, Aomine walks back to their inn at a leisurely pace. As the inn entrance comes in sight, he spots a familiar head of red hair at the parking lot, slapping the board of a basketball ring that had been placed there.

He gets to the parking lot in time to see Taiga falling on his ass and hear him shout “Goddammit!” as he glares up at the ring as if it had offended him.

Aomine grins “What are you doing?” he asks, teasingly.

Taiga jumps a little, and quickly faces him, still sitting on the ground and wide-eyed. “Aomine?” he breathes.

Aomine wonders why Taiga is often surprised to see him. There was nothing surprising at all about them being in the same space, especially now in training camp when the whole team was in such close quarters and when he and Taiga were roommates on top of all that.

He raises an eyebrow at Taiga “Who else?” he says, in a tone that made it clear that that had been rhetorical “What are you doing?”

“I'm just...” Taiga trails off, and then sighs, face pinching as if he were in pain “I'm trying something, it's none of your business.”

Aomine hums thoughtfully. He couldn't exactly disagree with that, though he wanted to insist that Taiga tell him anyway.

Often, Aomine would find himself thinking that maybe it would have been better if Taiga were on another team. Taiga's sentimental, if the ring that was still on his neck despite what Aomine knows had happened was any indication. And though that's a weakness on an individualistic team like Touou, on another team, it could have been a strength. A strength that would surely not be enough to defeat Aomine, he was sure, but, quite possibly, it would have been more than enough to entertain him.

The thought of it makes him a bit excited. It makes him feel slightly foolish too, because it would never happen. After all here Taiga was, in Touou, struggling with a style that was obviously not meant for him.

Wordlessly, Taiga gets up again, dusting his rear of dirt. He seems to be trying (and failing) to ignore Aomine, focusing on whatever it is he's been attempting to do. He walks some distance away from the ring, the same distance the half court line would be from the ring on court, Aomine notices.

Taiga takes a deep breath, and Aomine realizes, for the first time, that he isn't holding a ball. Taiga runs towards the hoop, jumping once he's at the distance the three point line would have been in. Immediately after his feet leave the ground, Aomine knows that he's jumped too hard.

“Fuck!” Taiga shouts, scrambling midair so he doesn't hit his head on the board.

He falls on his ass again. Aomine finds himself having to hold in a laugh.

“You're an idiot.” he comments with a snort, making Taiga glare at him. “Did going to America make you lose control over your legs? What have you been doing?”

“Shut up.” Taiga snaps “I'm just not used to jumping with my right leg.”

“Your right?” Aomine raises an eyebrow, reviewing his memories of their previous matches “Oh I see.” he says.

Taiga looks at him warily “Do you really?”

“I'm not an idiot.” says Aomine, the look on Taiga's face showed that he would beg to differ. Aomine rolls his eyes “You've been jumping with your left leg before, so the fact that you're out of control now means your right leg is superior but you're not used to using it.”

Taiga frowns, it looks like he's right “Yeah...” he sighs “Alex told me I could do much better if I used my right leg, I've been training my left hand for a while so I could use it like I use my right. That seems to be working out but this jumping with my right thing's pretty new. I'm gonna get it though, just you wait. Pretty soon no one's going to beat me at an aerial battle.”

“Yeah?” Aomine snorts “So this is your solution?”

Taiga visibly falters “I...” he shakes his head “No it isn't.” he says “Even this is useless if I don't–” he grunts “Anyway it's none of your business. Leave me alone.”

Aomine frowns “If you're just going to go at this half-assed then it might just _**be**_ my business.” he says, growing more and more irritated. He doesn't know why but Taiga's insistence that this wasn't any of his business is grating on his nerves.

“Why, because it'll be bad for the team?” Taiga snorts “Since when did you care _**hotshot**_.” he adds sarcastically, echoing Alex's pet name from that afternoon.

“Since it became obvious that you could fuck up enough that you'd make us lose.” Aomine snarls.

“What so you're not confident enough to win without me!?” Taiga shouts, anger evident in his face and voice “The great Aomine-sama thinks he can't handle his ex-teammates without some help!?”

“Who fucking said that!” Aomine shouts back, feeling anger boiling up in him as well “As if I need you! Quit the fucking team for all I care.”

Taiga presses his lips together, biting his lower lip until in turns white. Aomine is silenced by his stricken look, momentarily at a loss for what to do. He turns his head away and clicks his tongue.

“Whatever.” he says, before turning his back on him and heading for their bedroom.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

When Kagami returned to their room that night, an hour after their confrontation, Aomine was already asleep. He was lying on his side, facing the wall, anger evident in the stiffness of his back even in slumber. Kagami wants to be just as furious with him, but all he feels is disappointment in himself.

Aomine knew. He knew that Kagami's heart wasn't completely in it. He could tell.

And why wouldn't he be able to? Kagami knew this would catch up with him in the worst of ways if he didn't do something about it. His emotional hangup on Tatsuya is a liability. He knows that. All he needs to do is remind himself of the look on Aomine's face when he told him to just quit and he knows what will become of him if he lets it continue to be a liability.

He needs to be more decisive. He needs to get over himself.

The next morning the entire team could easily tell that something was wrong. The situation would have been hilarious to Kagami if he wasn't the one who had caused it. Aomine came to practice early, and had mechanically but efficiently gone through all the drills just like everyone else.

“He seems different today.” Alex comments in English. Kagami shoots her an irritated look but doesn't say anything, continuing on with his shooting practice.

“Kagami-kun.” Momoi approaches him, looking worried “I'm happy that Aomine-kun is actually practicing but did something happen?”

“How should I know?” Kagami avoids her gaze “Why don't you ask him.”

Momoi frowns at him, obviously unhappy with his answer. Kagami knows she can tell something happened between them– everyone who paid enough attention could– but he really wasn't in the mood to explain himself. There was nothing anyone could do anyway. Kagami knew that Aomine would continue to be angry for as long as he thought he was being half-assed.

And there was really no one but Kagami who could do anything about that.

“What sort of training has Kagami-kun been undergoing?” he's surprised to hear coach's voice nearby, he delays his next shot, stealing at look at him and Alex.

“Breaking his bad habits for the most part, a little bit of shock treatment too, I let him play against some pretty big guys in LA, skilled bunch too.” says Alex “I was surprised that he'd had so much stamina training, he's a lot better at using his left hand than when I last saw him. Was that your idea?”

Coach shakes his head, he turns to look at Kagami, making him jump and turn away, willing himself to concentrate on his practice again. Still he can't help himself, and he listens in on their conversation as he shoots.

“Momoi-san was the one who suggested the stamina training,” Coach says “the sort that boxers use to strengthen their leg muscles. As for his left hand, I've been informed that it was Kagami-kun's own idea.”

“Really?” Alex sounds surprised, Kagami wants to be offended but he knows that it was really a mixture of other people's advice that had given him the idea.

“Yes.” Coach affirms “Do you think he's ready to face Himuro Tatsuya?”

Kagami misses his shot. He didn't expect coach to be so direct. Does he know that Kagami can hear them? He should, he's not an idiot. Which probably meant that he thought Kagami needed to hear this.

“Honestly I don't know.” Alex sighs “I can tell you that's he's improved enough to beat Tatsuya, and that he'd likely be an asset even if he holds back. Not to brag, but there are few people on this team who are better than my pupil. To be honest, on a good day there might only be one person here who's better than him, by my assessment. But...” she trails off “I'm sure you know what I mean.”

Coach doesn't say anything in reply, but from the corner of his eye Kagami sees him nod.

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o- 

 

Momoi has a problem. A particularly bothersome one. In fact, she would go as far as to call it a moral dilemma. Both Coach and Imayoshi-san had pointedly told her not to meddle in Aomine and Kagami's fight but she can't find it in herself to really agree with that. They're both idiots, nothing will be solved if they are left to their own devices. She needs to talk with one of them, or both of them, if possible.

But now she is faced with the fact that she cannot do so without defying the explicit orders of a teacher. If he finds out she will no doubt be reproached. She knows that the punishment will likely not be too harsh but she stands to lose some of Coach's trust nonetheless. But despite that, she can't just take this lying down. At some point last night something had gone terribly terribly wrong, and as a friend to them both, Momoi thinks, she should at least be someone they can vent to.

To be able to talk to either of them without raising any suspicion however, she needed an accomplice. She knows that it's probably best to try and talk to Kagami first, so logically the best person to approach would be Sakurai.

She speaks to him after morning practice, when everyone has gone ahead for lunch. Sakurai looks worried, but readily agrees to it. They agree on speaking with Kagami that evening, on the pretense of going out to buy first aid supplies and snacks at the convenience store.

Kagami is predictably not suspicious of them at all, and is in fact, completely taken by surprise later that night, when Momoi and Sakurai both stop walking one block away from the convenience store.

“We need to talk.” says Momoi, at Kagami's confused expression she adds “About you and Aomine-kun.”

Kagami frowns “It's nothing.” he says, turning his head away.

“It's obviously not nothing.” says Momoi “I'm glad Aomine-kun's practicing but he hasn't spoken to anyone all day other than to curse at them. He'd been hanging all over you all day before, so obviously something's changed.”

Kagami bites the edge of his lip, looking guilty.

“I know something happened between you two.” she tries her best to sound more soothing this time “Please talk to us Kagami-kun, we're worried.”

“It's...” Kagami sighs “It's nothing _**big**_ , he just got pissed, saw me practicing on my own, said I was going at it half-assed.”

Momoi frowns “You were practicing on your own after hours and he thought you were being _**half-assed**?_ ”

“Yeah well.” Kagami grunts “He's not entirely wrong, I mean I'm doing my best dammit, but there's just...”

“Something getting in the way.” Momoi finishes for him.

“Kagami-kun.” says Sakurai, loud enough that it surprises them both, “I want to win.” he says, uncharacteristically firm.

When no one says anything, Sakurai continues.

“I believe in Aomine-kun. I believe that no matter what happens, we're going to win.” he says, not a shred of doubt in his voice “I understand you're having problems, but I know that despite that you're still better than most of the players on our team. I know that we'll win even when you hesitate, because we have Aomine-kun.”

Momoi turns to Kagami again and sees him grimacing, gazing at his feet. His face seemed to pinch tighter with every phrase that came out of Sakurai's mouth.

“I think you should just do what you're comfortable with.” says Sakurai “But I want you to ask yourself if you'll really be happy winning just because of Aomine-kun.”

Then, after clearing his throat, visibly holding back the urge to apologize, Sakurai stalks off towards the convenience store. Momoi fears she's made it uncomfortable for Kagami with yet another friend. But, she thinks, at the same time she could understand why Sakurai had said those things. Perhaps it was time she stopped coddling him.

“Kagami-kun..” she squeezes his arm “You need to make a choice. I know you're not the sort of person who would want to depend on someone else to win. I believe that you have potential that could rival even Aomine-kun. Whether you'll put it to waste or make the best of it is up to you.”

Kagami looks lost for a moment, but his gaze quickly turns determined. “You're right.” he says, and there's fire in his eyes, determination that promised amazing things “I need to get my head out of my ass.”

“Well,” she giggles “I wouldn't put it so crudely.”

Kagami snorts “Of course.”

Momoi smiles at him “Well then, shall we catch up with Sakurai-kun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than before but there are some significant steps forward here I think. As I said in my notes in the beginning, I expect this fic to last ten more chapters, more or less. That is, as I've said, if everything goes according to plan. I already have another aokaga fic planned out for when this ends (another au, but of a completely different type, one which is probably more my forte than this sort of fic haha), but whether or not I will write that one will depend on how I feel after I finish Invincible. Thank you for sticking with me till now and I hope I don't disappoint in this final stretch.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cold war continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry, at this rate I probably won't finish this fic within the year, sigh. Unless I start writing faster by some miracle, which, I kind of doubt, unfortunately. I wrote this chapter thrice and found found the past two versions either too dramatic or just plain BAD. So... that's why this took so long. Anyway, as usual I'll edit this for errors tomorrow or sometime in the next few days haha.

Aomine knew that he had no real reason to be angry. He knew, better than anyone in his opinion, that the thought of Taiga ever half-assing basketball was ridiculous. He might hesitate, sure, but Taiga's an idiot, you couldn't keep him down no matter how hard you tried. He'd just keep getting up even when it was already useless to.

Aomine knew this, has a good amount of experience with this from his weekend one-on-ones with him. It was completely illogical that he'd get angry at him for something he  _ **knew**_ he'd never do.

And yet, he  _ **did**_ get angry, and now he thinks, he's just going to have to own up to it. There was no way he was going to admit to being wrong, so he's just going to keep operating as if he were convinced that he was in the right. (Well, he never claimed to be a paragon of maturity.)

Satsuki, he knows, is upset with him. It was easy enough to tell that she was. She didn't ignore him, she never did, but it was obvious in her constant annoyed huffing and exaggerated pouting at anything and everything he did, whether it was something legitimately wrong (like insulting her) or normally very negligible (like scratching his belly in public), that she wasn't happy with him at all right now. Somehow, in the relatively short time they've all known him, Satsuki has taken to siding with Taiga more.

Aomine isn't really hurt by this. Part of him expected it, if he's going to be honest. What he didn't expect was for Ryou to be upset with him too.

He didn't even notice it at first. Ryou is still kind of terrified of him, spewing apologies at every contact (verbal and physical, however small). Aomine has rarely seen him look anything but nervous. But more than once, when Ryou was under the impression that Aomine wasn't paying any attention to him, Aomine has caught him frowning at his direction. It wasn't unreasonable to assume that this also had everything to do with Taiga.

The rest of the team acts no different. (Unless he and Taiga stood at least a foot from each other, in which case most of them became visibly antsy.) But most of them didn't know him or Taiga all that well so that didn't really mean anything.

Taiga himself is, surprisingly, taking the awkwardness in stride. Far from looking annoyed or angry (or even depressed, which honestly speaking, is what Aomine had expected), Taiga walked into practice the morning after their spat with a determined look and gait that hasn't disappeared since.

In response to this, Aomine has kept himself stoic and uninterested. He has easily fallen back to the routine he'd grown accustomed to in his last year of middle school– lazing about more than practicing, eating too much junk food, taking long naps, jacking off to Horikita Mai, leaving a mess of clothes and wrappers everywhere he lingered (messes which, bafflingly, Taiga often studiously cleaned without complaint (or, at least, Aomine had never heard him complain about it)).

They spent their nights in icy silence, backs turned against the other, facing the walls of opposite sides of their room. On many nights, Taiga fell asleep almost immediately as his head hit his pillow. Aomine could always tell from his breathing, soft and even. Considering his tendency to accidentally stay up when excited, Aomine guesses he's probably extremely exhausted after every practice.

(He almost worries about whether or not he's over pacing himself, but then remembers that he's angry and shakes away all traces of the feeling.)

“How long are you going to be an idiot?” Satsuki hisses at him, midway through morning practice, four days before the end of training camp. It comes out of nowhere, as far as Aomine is concerned. It's one of those days where he actually felt like going to practice, and thus, one of those days where Satsuki shouldn't have anything to complain about.

Maybe, he thinks, that's the problem. In the absence of anything immediately there to complain about, Satsuki finally finds it in herself to explicitly address the problem looming over their heads.

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Aomine answers easily, as he throws basketballs one-handed into a hoop in a steady but lazy rhythm. His other hand scratches the underside of his jaw as he yawns and avoids her piercing glare.

“See this is what I'm talking about.” she says “You're pretending that nothing's happened. You both are. Even though  _ **everyone**_ knows that something did.”

Aomine snorts “What, are you  _ **asking**_ about it?” He's pretty sure Taiga's told her about it, finds it impossible that he wouldn't.

“Well, not if you're going to be like  _ **that**_.” Satsuki huffs. Always with the huffing, Aomine groans inwardly.

“Like  _ **what**_? _”_

“Like a giant  _ **butt**_ that's what.” she crosses her arms “Kagami-kun thinks he's at fault.”

“Oh?” news to him “So why's he acting like he's waiting for  _ **me**_ to apologize?”

He wasn't. Aomine knew that. It was just really hard to stop being an asshole once he'd already gotten started. He snarls a little, looking, he thinks, genuinely mad, and it makes Satsuki's eyes widen almost comically in surprise.

“Wow, you're  _ **serious**_?  _ **That's**_ what you think of the mood he's been in? You're an even bigger idiot than I thought, I mean think about what you two fought about in the first place,  _ **this**_ ,” she gestures vaguely around the room “ _ **a**_ _ **ll of thi**_ _ **s,**_ this daily hellish practice,  _ **that's**_ his apology. Something which,  _ **apparently**_ _,_ you've been too much of an idiot to notice, let alone accept.”

Aomine clicks his tongue “Just leave it.” he says, “It's our problem, we'll deal with it eventually.”

“Whether you like it or not,” Satsuki starts coldly “this is also the  _ **team's**_ problem, and just because the others are too afraid of you or too willing to spoil you doesn't mean  _ **I**_ will stand for it especially because I  _ **know**_ this is more  _ **your**_ fault than Kagami-kun's.”

“ _Yeah? Why don't you go suck his dick then.”_ Aomine almost says, before holding himself back at the last second, biting his lower lip hard, almost but not enough to draw blood. It was  _ **really**_  hard to stop being an asshole. And, well, the truth was? Satsuki's right. And really, she deserves better than this, than him spouting hugely uncalled for insults and comments. Not that he was going to admit to any of that, any time soon.

Satsuki seems to take his prolonged silence as an ascent, and she stalks off angrily to the other side of the room.

Shaking his head, Aomine picks up another ball, and shoots.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

“Genius boy's guilty, I can tell.”

Kagami's glad that  _ **someone**_ is drawing amusement from the situation, but he does wish Alex were more mindful of how everyone else was stressed about his “fight” with Aomine. Coach wasn't saying anything, but Kagami knew from the frown lines on his face that he'd appreciate it if she stopped laughing so loudly.

Kagami would appreciate it too, especially since she had the habit of talking about how hilarious everyone was being when Kagami was out at the inn's gardens, crouched by a faucet, splashing water on his face furiously as he tried not to puke all over his shoes.

“Did you see the way he talked to Satsuki-chan?” she snorted “He's just being a child, doesn't want to apologize. Too prideful.”

“Tell me something I don't know.” Kagami grunts “But well, it's not like he needs to apologize.”

“What are you talking about Taiga? Don't tell me you think this is  _ **entirely**_ your fault.”

“He's an asshole, nothing new.” he rubs his face with a towel “It's my bad this time though, really. Gotta get my head outta my ass.”

Alex hums thoughtfully “Well, I won't argue with you on that front.”

“Hey, if you're going to keep sticking around you might want to at least  _ **pretend**_ to be mentoring me.”

“Isn't that what I've been doing all this time?”

Kagami rubs his forehead “If taunting to me to do better is your idea of furthering my training then you are waaaay overpaid.”

“I'm not getting paid at all though.”

“Yeah, and you're still overpaid.”

“So cheeky,” she slaps him on the back, good-naturedly but hard enough that it hurts “that how you talk to a lady here?”

Kagami scowls at her trying to reach for the now reddening portion of his back “I don't see a lady anywhere.”

Alex stomps on his foot.

“Ow! Shit! What the hell!”

“That's for being rude, Tiger.” she snorts.

Kagami throws her a glare and bends down and to rub his offended toes through his shoe.

Alex rolls her eyes “Oh relax, it's not like I broke anything. You're too soft Taiga, that's gonna cost you on court.”

“Pretty sure it's against the rules to do that to anyone on court.” Kagami grumbles.

“That doesn't stop some people though now does it?”

She had a point, however minutely, but Kagami would rather not to dignify her words with a reply. He stomps his foot on the floor a few times to check for injury. Finding none, he walks away from Alex to rejoin the rest of the team for practice.

“Man up Taiga!” she shouts in English.

“Yeah, yeah.” he exclaims back, waving a hand in the air dismissively.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Momoi has had enough. She'd been planned on talking to Kagami-kun and leaving it at that, but clearly she underestimated how hardheaded and unreasonable Aomine-kun could be. She'd promised Coach and Imayoshi-san that she would not to interfere, but she was sure neither of them foresaw how childish Aomine could be.

She kept her promise to the best of her abilities, but sometimes it was just impossible not to comment. It would have been better, she thinks, if Aomine didn't look like he  _ **kn**_ _ **e**_ _ **w**_ that he was being a bastard. As it was, he was obviously just letting himself spiral out of control, hanging on to anger beyond all reason.

Oh, did she want to slap him silly.

At least it wasn't affecting Kagami negatively. In fact, he had surprised her this past week with his single-mindedness. Completely unaware of Aomine's inner turmoil, Kagami has been steadfastly working his way into setting things right for himself.

As troubling as his tendency to shrink away from his problems involving his “older brother” is, he still showed an admirable amount of emotional maturity for someone in his situation. Momoi only wished that Aomine would handle himself similarly. She is, and always has been, sympathetic towards her childhood friend, but she wonders often now, seeing Kagami and his endless unwavering zest for basketball (which persists even in the face of crushing defeat and emotional burdens), if there were other things she could have said and done.

But, instead of feeling regret from this, she finds, somehow, that she is now hopeful.

Kagami's positivity is infectious. Not due to any exceptional amount of charisma, which he decidedly lacked, but, instead, due to sheer likability. At first glance, he had the intensity of a wild cat stalking its prey, but upon closer inspection one will find an awkward young man who is still trying to feel for a foothold in his homeland. It was, to Momoi (and several other girls she's come to find out), completely endearing. And it was, for men, something that made him impossible to hate without looking like an asshole.

Certainly, Aomine's found it hard to stay away from him. Nearly their entire school knew that they were becoming quite inseparable (a fact which Momoi continues to find absolutely hilarious). At times he almost seemed like his old self. It made a small flame of hope ignite in her, hope that with time Kagami's companionship would eventually transform him back to the Dai-chan she'd grown up with.

Of course, now that Aomine, through his own stubbornness, was allowing things to go sour between them, much of that hope has dimmed. It seemed he was intent on staying where he was. And if he was too bullheaded to move on or open his eyes then it was hard to see how any of them could force him to.

“ _I have had enough.”_ she thinks again, tapping her foot impatiently as she stares at Aomine from across the court.

“That's an interesting face you're making Satsuki-chan.”

Alex's voice is surprising enough that the frown completely disappears from her face. She unfolds her crossed arms as she instinctively steps back in shock.

“Oh uhm,” Momoi brings her hands to her cheeks “is it?”

“You've looked like that for nearly a week now,” Alex chuckles, and then, smiling conspiratorially, she leans in to whisper “I know what it's like, handling idiot boys.”

Momoi smiles back sheepishly “They  _ **are**_ a handful,” she says “I don't know how I've lasted this long.”

Alex laughs heartily, and loud enough to disturb practice if everyone else weren't so absorbed with their drills “Ah, I can relate. Taiga's easier to handle these days at least, he's gotten a bit shy though.”

She was probably referring to his refusal to be kissed, which frankly, Momoi could understand.

“Kagami-kun tells me you were also Himuro-san's mentor?”

Alex hums absently, staring ahead “Yes.”

Unsure now if this line of questioning is welcome, Momoi shifts her eyes away “Uhm...”

“I take it you want to know why things have turned out this way, if they were close enough to call each other brothers.” Alex smiles sadly, closing her eyes. “In a nutshell? Taiga was an idiot, Tatsuya was an even bigger idiot, and I didn't do nearly enough about any of it at the time.”

“Oh, I'm sure you did–”

Alex raises a hand “No, I'm the adult. And as the adult between the three of us, if there was anyone who could have done more it was me.”

Momoi couldn't find it in herself to agree with that. Though she didn't know the details, she knew that plenty of things were out of  _ **anyone's**_ control, adult or not. She didn't want to start an argument though, not here, and not with Kagami's mentor; so she just nods.

“Kagami-kun looks like he's doing much better.”

“Oh yeah,” Alex grins “don't tell him I said this but he's in top form. We'll never know how he'll do in a real game until he's actually in a real game, but he's doing well enough right now that I'm considering teaching him a secret weapon.”

“Secret weapon!?”

Alex laughs “I think I just saw your ears perk up Satsuki-chan.” she shakes her head “Yes, a... secret weapon. But I'm only considering it, he's not quite there yet.”

“Can I know what the secret weapon is?”

“Here's the thing about secrets dear, you have to keep them to yourself or else they won't be secrets.”

Momoi frowns as Alex winks at her. “I can respect that I suppose. It's only a possibility anyway.”

“That's right. And in any case, it's really something that should be seen to be believed.”

“Now I'm  _ **really**_ intrigued.”

“Just hang on to that feeling then, it'll keep things interesting.”

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

On the day before the end of training camp, Imayoshi heads back to Tokyo ahead of them for the drawing of the Winter Cup match ups. Though they try their hardest to seem nonchalant about it, the entire team is on edge. It makes it harder for Kagami to pretend that he doesn't care. Really, he cared so much it wasn't even funny.

He's thankful for the painfully exhausting practices they were cramming into these last few days. If not for them he'd probably lie awake in bed all night going back and forth between just wanting to get it over with and play against Yosen again, and wanting to put off that match up as long as humanly possible so that he'd be more ready for it than he is now.

The only person who wasn't tense about the drawing was, predictably, Aomine. He still regularly skipped practice and wandered off away from the inn to god knows where. Kagami supposed it was all the same to him, and it didn't matter who they were up against. Maybe he even  _ **preferred**_  Yosen, with his former teammate on it and with Tatsuya, who he's acknowledged as a skilled looking player. Kagami doesn’t know for sure.

“Kagami, can I talk to you for a second?” Wakamatsu pulls him aside on their final night, a serious look plastered on his face.

It isn't uncharacteristic, per se, but it's unusual enough that it puts him on alert. What could he want to tell him in private? Is he finally going to give in to temptation and meddle in Kagami and Aomine's problem? Kagami knows that he's been itching to all week, barely preventing himself from doing so, always having to be pulled back by Imayoshi when he unconsciously started stomping towards Aomine's direction in annoyance.

“Well, I don't think anyone else thought of this, so I'm just gonna tell you myself,” he starts “I know things are weird between you and Aomine --”

Though he'd been expecting it, his eyes widen a little, and a slight look of panic passes through his face.

“Oh. Don't worry,” Wakamatsu gently waves his hand up and down in a reassuring gesture “I'm not going to talk to you about  _ **that**_ , but well, I'm sorry that I have to ask  _ **you**_ to do this, I mean, considering that things are the way they are between you two. Thing is, I think we need someone to make sure Aomine's all packed up before we leave tomorrow and you're his roommate so...” he trails of awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck “Yeah, it'd be weirder if we got someone else in there. So maybe just pack for him after he falls asleep later, if he doesn't do it himself before that I mean.”

Kagami nods. Right. He can do that. He'd been cleaning up for Aomine for all of their training camp, it wouldn't be too hard. “Alright,” he says “I can take care of that.”

“Great!” Wakamatsu pats him on the shoulder “Counting on you then. Anyway, we better head to dinner, probably won't be much left for us if we don't go now.”

“Right.” Kagami nods again, before following him down the hall.

They don't talk on the short walk to the dining hall, but at the door Wakamatsu stops and without looking at him he says, “For what it's worth, I'm still on your side.”

Kagami is confused for a moment too long, and so before he can reply, Wakamatsu's already disappeared into the room ahead of them.

“ _Well,_ ” he thinks  _“that's not really surprising I guess.”_

And, in fact, in a strange way, he really found it quite reassuring. Even though, well, it was probably mostly because Wakamatsu detested Aomine's personality rather than because he liked Kagami particularly. Still, he appreciated it.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

  

Aomine doesn't know how Taiga thinks he could have missed the fact that he fixed his stuff for him, seeing as the clothes in his bag were folded neatly instead of just jammed in there (as is his usual style of packing).

It annoyed him a bit that he'd do so without permission, but since he's never known Taiga to do things like that of his own volition, and since Wakamatsu gave him a not at all discreet thumbs up when they got on the bus, it was obvious that if there's anyone to blame here it's meddlesome upperclassmen.

But, whatever. It's not as if he cares enough to make a fuss about it. It'd be wasted energy really. Time better spent sleeping.

Satsuki sits next to him on the bus, still looking annoyed with him but unwilling, as usual, to just leave him alone. Frustratingly, she slapped his leg every time he tried to stretch, and then whispered heatedly about being more sensitive of others. Blah blah blah. He didn't hear the rest because he'd pretended to snore loudly over her, and then, after a few minutes, started snoring over her for real, conked out with his head resting against the window.

When he wakes up about an hour later everyone except Coach and the bus driver are asleep and Satsuki's head is lying on his shoulder. Across the aisle, one row in front of them, he can see Taiga snoozing with his mouth slightly open, snoring lightly, but otherwise looking like he'd just closed his eyes.

Aomine's seen him asleep in class, drooling and snoring so loudly that the teachers always caught him. He's seen him sleep a few times during the past two weeks too, but he's never looked so peaceful. But then, at the same time he looked tense enough, that if anyone so much as tapped him, his eyes would immediately shoot open, wide awake and alert.

The bus eases to a stop, and Coach rises from his seat.

“Alright wake up!” he shouts, rousing the team from their sleep. Despite his authoritative tone, some are slow to get up, rubbing their eyes absentmindedly, blinking rapidly as if they didn't know where they were. Beside him, Satsuki is more alert than most but still yawning. “We're here.” Coach continues “But before you leave for your homes or dorm we'll have a short meeting at the gym, our first opponent has been chosen.”

That sobers everyone up. Immediately a wave of tension passes through the bus, and everyone slowly trudges off it. Aomine thinks it's amusing how nobody's talking. He says so out loud but immediately regrets it when Satsuki elbows him for it hard.

At the gym, Imayoshi is standing with Coach, waiting for everyone to huddle closer. Imayoshi glances towards Kagami's direction once, then looks away, trying to keep his gaze everywhere else but. Aomine knows now who they're up against first without them having to say it.

“Our first match,” Imayoshi says, once he has everyone's attention “is against Yosen.”

Aomine's gaze flickers immediately to Kagami's tense form. He's pretending not to know that all eyes are on him, he stares straight ahead at Coach and Imayoshi, his jaw stiff. In his eyes Aomine sees fear, and then determination, and then, unexpectedly, resignation. Coach starts saying something, but he doesn't hear it. And, from the look on his face, it was obvious that Kagami wasn't hearing it either.

He looks away, pretends to listen to whatever is being said, pretends not to feel his heart tighten in his chest and a traitorous lump rise in his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much trouble with characterization in this chapter, mostly w/ Aomine, sometimes I'm not sure I know what I'm doing when I write him lol. Ah but this was this was the best I could do, and I hope you all enjoyed it. The plot is going to move forward a bit faster from now on. 
> 
> As for when I'll update next... I don't know, I'm sorry, a lot is going on with me right now to be honest haha.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winter Cup begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, been busy with a number of things, even when I do have a break I'm too tired to write. 
> 
> Remember when I said that this was going to end soon? I'm not so sure anymore. This was supposed to end in the next four chapters, but now I think I might be rushing it TOO much, we'll see where Kagami and Aomine take me.
> 
> I read this over once, will read again tomorrow when I have a clearer head, I apologize in advance for any errors.

Kagami's late. It's not that Aomine _**worried**_ about him or anything equally ridiculous – it's just something he's noticed, that's all. Satsuki's practically glued to her cellphone, frantically trying to reach him. Aomine would tell her to stop but he's pretty sure she'd snap at him.

Almost everyone in the room is visibly wound up. _“This must be what they're like when I'm late”_ Aomine thinks. He wonders when Kagami had become so important to this team, enough to cause this reaction. Maybe the defeat against Yosen has created the impression that Aomine's not going to be enough against them. To that, Aomine says _“as if”_ , though he will admit that Murasakibara is probably the one who'd give him the most trouble among his ex-teammates.

That doesn't mean he'll _**lose**_ though.

“Kagami-kun says that Alex-san gave him some last minute tips, but they're on their way.” Satsuki's addressing coach, but she says it loud enough that the rest of them would hear “They'll be on time for the game, but not the opening ceremony.”

“That's fine.” says coach, “Keep me updated if there are any changes.”

Satsuki nods and goes back to tapping away at her phone. Coach meanwhile, calls over Imayoshi and starts speaking to him in a hushed tone. _“_ _Well that's never good.”_ thinks Aomine, usually it meant they were about to ask him to do something troublesome.

Tactics are tiring. And Aomine doesn't need them. The only thing he needs to win is himself.

Inside his pocket, his phone vibrates. Lazily, Aomine grabs it and checks who could possibly be texting him with a “tsk”.

His eyes widen slightly upon seeing the sender, and then, he turns to Satsuki and shouts her name.

She lifts her head from staring down at her phone, and frowns at him “I'm busy Aomine-kun.”

“I'm going out.”

“What!” briskly, she marches over to him “It's almost time for the opening ceremony! We can't have you wandering ar–”

“It's Akashi.”

Satsuki gapes for a moment, before lowering her gaze to the floor, slouching. “Oh.” she says in a soft voice “Can't be helped then.”

Aomine audibly exhales “Yeah.”

“Mmm, just make sure you get back on time for the game alright?”

“Yeah, yeah.” he says, stepping out of the locker room. He slowly makes his way towards the place Akashi had specified in his text, and when he gets there he finds that Midorima and Kise have already arrived.

Kise smiles at him and says hello while Midorima nods in his general direction. Aomine squints at the scissors in Midorima's hand and nearly comments on it before deciding it's probably better not to. Then he says hi to Kise and plops down onto the steps.

Murasakibara arrives shortly thereafter, a half-eaten bar of chocolate in hand. He mutters a lazy hello through his full mouth. Midorima's look of disgust is honestly the most hilarious thing Aomine has seen in a while, he can't help but snort. Kise also audibly suppresses a laugh.

Midorima frowns at them and huffs, uses the scissors in his hands to snip at air. Aomine's not sure if the gesture is supposed to be threatening, Kise certainly looks unnerved by it, but to him, it looks more silly than anything. Murasakibara seems to be thinking something along the same lines though Aomine couldn't really tell with the guy sometimes.

“Oh look, it's Kurochin.” says Murasakibara.

They all look in the direction of his gaze to see Tetsu walking towards them, a teammate from Seirin following close behind.

“What's this Tetsu? You've got a babysitter?” he asks, an eyebrow raised.

“Minechin has Sacchin too though.” says Murasakibara.

“Satsuki has nothing to do with this.” Aomine snaps.

“I've been itching to ask,” Kise interjects, looking straight at Midorima's hands “why do you have those scissors Midorimacchi?”

“Obviously it's my lucky item, idiot.” Midorima huffs.

Kise's mouth curls a little “It's dangerous though. I wish you wouldn't walk around with them out like that.”

Tetsu stops in front of them, and in his usual deadpan manner says “Sorry, I've kept you waiting.” Behind him his teammate looks petrified.

Aomine's about to comment about it when Kise's phone rings.

“You're phone's annoying, Kise.” Aomine says, turning toward him “Is it Akashi?”

Kise gasps, and brings the phone closer to his face “It's...” he starts breathlessly, before raising his head to look at Aomine “... a text from a fangirl.”

“Go die!” Aomine snaps. Kise's way of bragging about his popularity with girls hasn't changed a bit it seems.

Aomine hears Murasakibara grunt and sees him struggling to open a bag of chips, apparently done with the bar of chocolate. “Midochin, let me borrow those scissors.” he says, having been unable to open it.

Midorima sighs and turns away from him “I refuse.”

“What?” Murasakibara whines, then turns to Tetsu “Kurochin do you have any?”

“No I don't.” says Tetsu, in a tone that would have seemed neutral to anyone who didn't know him well enough but to Aomine, betrayed slight annoyance.

“Why's the guy who summoned us here the last to arrive anyway?” Kise complains. Aomine couldn't agree more, where the heck is Akashi?

Exhibiting the most patience for their ex-captain's ways as always, Midorima says, “There's no need to be upset. That's just how he is.”

“Sheesh.” Aomine sighs. Beside him, Murasakibara finally succeeds in opening his bag of chips.

“I apologize,” says a new voice, clear and deceptively gentle-- unmistakably Akashi. They turn to look at the top of the steps, and there he is, standing against the midday light “I've kept you waiting.”

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Dammit we're late.” Kagami snarls “I told you to tell me if it was 9 am!”

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” Alex laughs “I lost track of the time too, it was worth it anyway.”

“What do you mean? I wasn't able to do the damn 'secret technique'!”

“As you are now you mean, but maybe...” she trails off.

Kagami frowns “Maybe what?”

“Well, when the time comes you'll know you can do it.” she pats his back “Might come sooner than you think depending on how much pressure you're in.”

“You know that I have no idea what you're talking about right?”

Alex laughs “Oh I know, but trust me, you might not understand now but you _**will**_. It's just a matter of time. Just stow that technique at the back of your mind for now.”

Kagami still has no idea what she's talking about “Why did you only decide to start teaching it to me two nights ago?”

“I didn't think you were ready, and you aren't. But I thought, what the heck? You keep improving in every game anyway, so who knows.”

“Thanks for the confidence then I guess.” Kagami grunts, beside him he hears a gasp. Complete strangers are staring at him and Alex, whispering among themselves. One particularly brazen person loudly asks who the blonde beauty next to the Touou player is. Kagami can hear people saying that Alex must be his girlfriend, which eww, _**no**_. She's like.... She's Alex.

“Have these people never seen a foreigner before?” Alex asks in English, sounding amused.

“I don't think it's just that.”says Kagami, as he glares at those with the audacity to gawk. It seemed like half of the crowd was stealing glances at them while the other half... was looking in the opposite direction?

Kagami follows their gazes to see what else is so eye catching and spots Aomine sitting on some steps with people who he recognizes as his Teikou teammates. He's got a bored look on his face and it looks like he's just bickering with Kise who's behind him.

“ _Is that asshole planning to be late for our match again?”_ Kagami thinks, enraged at the sight, and then, before Alex can stop him, he runs for it, making a beeline for his asshole of a teammate.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Aomine!” a shout that is unmistakably Taiga reaches Aomine's ears and he turns to see, much to his disbelief, that he is barreling towards him. Taiga rushes past Murasakibara, grabs Aomine by the collar of his jersey and indignantly shouts “Are you planning on being late again!?”.

“What the hell” is all Aomine manages to say in reply, feeling a bit winded.

“It appears an outsider has so rudely dared to interrupt our meeting.” says Akashi, slowly stepping down from where he stands, making his way to the two of them.

Taiga, who doesn't seem to recognize him one bit, lets go of Aomine's jersey and opens his mouth to speak.

Akashi interrupts him before a single syllable leaves his mouth “Shintarou,” he says, holding his hand out to Midorima “can I borrow those scissors.”

“What are you going to use them for?” Midorima asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“My hair is annoying me.” Akashi says simply, looking straight at Taiga. Aomine has a bad fucking feeling about this, he's about to raise his hand to stop Midorima from handing the scissors but is a moment too late.

As soon as Akashi grabs hold of the scissors' handle he stabs it directly towards Taiga's face. Aomine can hear himself shouting Taiga's name, eyes wide.

Thankfully, Taiga seems to have dodged it for the most part, but a there is a small shallow looking wound bleeding slightly on his cheek. He nearly falls backward from sidestepping but Aomine pulls him by the arm to help him regain his balance.

Aomine turns to Akashi and shouts “What the hell are you thinking!”, but the latter is pointedly ignoring him. Aomine takes deep breaths, ragged and distressed sounding even to his own ears. His free hand is balled into a fist, nails biting into his palm hard enough to hurt a little. Taiga wipes the blood off his cheek, utterly speechless.

“My, my.” says Akashi a small smile creeping up his face “I'm surprised that you were able to dodge that. In light of that display of agility*, I'll forgive you this time. However there will be no second chance.” Akashi slowly raises the scissors to his face “When I tell you to leave, leave. In this world winning is everything,” he cuts off a clump of his bangs “winners are affirmed completely and losers are denied completely. I've never lost at anything before, and I never will.” he continues, snipping away at his hair “Because I always win, and I am always right.”

Akashi lowers the scissors, done with giving himself a trim. Nobody should be able to make this ridiculous situation even remotely terrifying but Akashi manages it. It's probably, Aomine thinks, because he just tried to fucking kill Taiga.

“I show no mercy to those who oppose me.” Akashi says, gazing down at Taiga. “Not even my own parents.”

Aomine grits his teeth. Beside him, Kagami clicks his tongue, lowering his head in what Aomine thinks is an unconscious action.

“Well, I'm leaving.” Akashi hands the scissors back to Midorima, who shows no sign of being bothered by what just happened, and trudges back up the steps in a casual pace “I just wanted to say hello to everyone today.”

“What!? Don't be ridiculous!” Aomine shouts “You summoned us just for that!?”

“No,” says Akashi, pausing to look back at him “I actually wanted to confirm something, but after seeing your faces, I realized there was no need. No one has forgotten our promise. Everything's fine then, the next time we meet will be on court.” with that, he turns away from all of them and leaves, everyone staring at his wake.

 

 

- **o-o-o-o-**

 

The Generation of Miracles are all crazy. Kagami would have said that before, and meant it too, but he would have meant it in a _completely_ different way than he does right now. No one aside from Kuroko or Aomine looked alarmed that Akashi attempted to stab him, which meant things like that were probably a natural occurrence with him.

Kagami has no idea what to think about that.

“You alright Taiga?” Alex jogs up to him and Aomine as they break away from the rest of the Miracles.

“Yeah,” Kagami grunts “I'm fine.” he turns to Aomine “Your friends are crazy.”

Aomine snorts, doesn't look at him “Oh so we're talking now?”

“ _Oh,”_ Kagami thinks _“right.”_

Alex sighs exaggeratedly, “Don't you boys have a game to catch?” she asks.

Kagami and Aomine share a short look before they realize what they're doing and promptly turn away.

“Right,” Kagami says “let's go.”

 

**-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Are you nervous?” asks Momoi, as they walk into the court.

Kagami takes a moment to consider the question. He's always a little nervous before a game, he's usually just more excited than he is nervous. Today it's a little different, the nervousness and excitement are coming in equal measure.

“I am,” he admits “but it's fine. I can do this.”

Momoi smiles “I'll take your word for it alright?”

Kagami does his best to smile back. At their bench he spots Aomine giving him a searching look, but when their eyes meet Aomine shakes his head, walks away from them and onto the court to warm up.

“ _What's up with him?”_ he wonders, stretching his arms to begin his own warm up.

Yosen's regulars are already taking practice shots on the court. Murasakibara, Kagami notices, looks like he's just halfheartedly going through the motions. Tatsuya on the other hand is the picture of focus. Kagami stares at his back for a moment, observing him, then turns away and closes his eyes.

“ _I can do this.”_ he repeats inwardly _“I'm fine. I'm great.”_

The line up before the toss is awkward, for Kagami at least. Tatsuya makes direct eye contact with him, looking even more determined than last time. Kagami tries his best to meet his gaze with the same fervor. They don't say anything, this time around, he knows they don't really need to.

Yosen wins the jump, predictable, Wakamatsu's a good player but Murasakibara is _**massive**_. The referee, however, blows his whistle just as they're about to start running for Yosen's side of the court.

“Heh, he hasn't changed.” Kagami hears Aomine mutter.

“ _What?”_ Kagami wants to ask _“What happened?”_

“Oh whoops.” says Murasakibara, though he looks like he doesn't really care one way or other.

“Jumper violation, white number nine!” says the referee. He looks like he can't quite believe what happened himself.

“ _No shit.”_ Kagami thinks _“I thought Momoi's data was exaggerating but this guy's wingspan is incredible.”_

The Yosen seniors admonish Murasakibara for touching the ball early _**again**_ , resigned but thoroughly exasperated tones implying that it happens all the time. “Oopsie” is all Murasakibara has to say for himself, and though Tatsuya gently tells him to try not to do it next time, Yosen's number four, their captain by the looks of it, scolds Tatsuya for going easy on him.

It's Touou's ball, which normally would make Kagami think they're a shoe in for the first point, but seeing Mursakibara standing by the net with Yosen's number four and eleven is intimidating.

Imayoshi passes the ball to Aomine, who's grinning like a freaking maniac, obviously beside himself with joy. He's not sluggish at all today, his moves are immediately sharp, and though he's obviously still gearing up and not getting completely serious yet, his current speed is nothing to sneeze at.

Kagami tries to keep up but Tatsuya screens him. Glancing to his left he can see Yosen's number five keeping Wakamatsu busy. Any other day the glaring height difference between the two would be an amusing sight but today it's nothing but frustrating. Imayoshi and Sakurai aren't tall enough to assist Aomine, realistically speaking. In fact it's obvious that despite their best efforts, at best Aomine's going to get double teamed.

“ _Shit.”_ Kagami thinks, trying to get past Tatsuya again. He knows Aomine doesn't even want an assist, but damned if he was going to take any chances. Wakamatsu seems to have the same idea. They make brief eye contact. Tatsuya catches it but Yosen's number five doesn't.

“Senpai!” Kagami shouts in Wakamatsu's direction, hoping it would distract number five enough to look. For a split second, he does, and Wakamatsu takes the chance to break free.

Internally Kagami rejoices, he turns towards where Aomine is, only to find that he's somehow been pushed outward, beyond the court and behind the net.

“ _You better pass the goddamn ball Aomine.”_ Kagami thinks in a panic, but there's a huge smirk on Aomine's face as he stumbles back, and right before he steps past the baseline he tosses the ball, just tosses it. Like it's freaking trash or something.

And Kagami thinks, that he really should have known. He really should have known that the guy had something this ridiculous in his arsenal because the ball's trajectory goes from behind the board to over it and into the net. Yosen didn't even consider blocking it until it was too late.

The buzzer sounds as the ball hits the ground, the first two points of the game are theirs. Kagami didn't think it would happen so soon, Momoi's data and past experience gave him the impression that they'd start with a stalemate. But, he guesses, that's Aomine for you.

“That was dirty Minechin.” Murasakibara pouts.

Aomine snorts “Was not, shut up.”

“ _He's having more fun here than in the game against Kaijou.”_ Kagami huffs, taking his position for their defense.

Murasakibara is quick, and Tatsuya is too. Kagami can barely keep up with either of them honestly. Tatsuya nearly attempts a Mirage Shot, but Aomine takes a step towards his and Kagami's direction, showing intent to block it.

Tatsuya takes one glance at Aomine before passing the ball to Yosen's number four, whose movements are being restricted by Wakamatsu. Kagami catches the eye of Imayoshi who is across him guarding number eleven. Imayoshi turns his head slightly in Murasakibara's direction, just as number four passes the ball to him. Getting the hint, Kagami tries to run past Tatsuya, who unfortunately manages to screen him again, preventing his advance.

“I'm not letting you do that.” says Tatsuya. Kagami grits his teeth in frustration.

Despite Aomine's attempt to block him, Murasakibara dunks the ball into basket, scoring two points for Yosen. Aomine's once relatively cheery expression sours for a moment, before turning into a look of amusement.

Maybe this'll be a stalemate in the first quarter after all.

“Your opponent's here Taiga.” Kagami's attention snaps back to Tatsuya “You're never going to get past me if you keep looking at them.”

Kagami has nothing to say to that, he's right. If he ever hopes to make anything happen here, he can't avoid this showdown. He needs to get rid of all these feelings weighing him down and focus on what really matters. Winning.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * in the Horrible Subs version of Episode 38, Akashi says “In light of that display of grace” but I didn't think that was quite right considering Kagami nearly fell down the steps here (side note: I wrote in that bit not just for more aokaga, but I thought it'd make sense, in canon, Kagami was standing near Kuroko on flat ground, here, Kagami was standing next to Aomine on the steps)  
> \--  
> Next is part two of this match, will hopefully be up sometime this weekend/next week since I'm kind of on a roll for now. As usual no promises, kinda had to slack off from school work to write this haha.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone should know by now to expect the impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to everyone who expected this weeks ago. School work suddenly flooded me after I posted the last chapter.
> 
> I didn't reread all of this, expect this to not only be edited but maybe even be revised a bit by the time the next chapter comes out, it really depends on how busy I get, sorry.

Wakamatsu is lashing out at everybody in his frustration. Kagami can't really blame him. Yosen's number four has him struggling to defend, and this stalemate they're in has been going on much too long for comfort. Kagami's own situation isn't much different, he and Tatsuya haven't managed to pass each other.

What's really worrying is the fact that Aomine and Murasakibara are also pretty evenly matched. Kagami wondered at first if Aomine was holding back, but he dismissed the thought immediately. Despite what Wakamatsu might like to say, everyone knows that Aomine would never do that.

 _"Are we in trouble?”_ , he wonders. Imayoshi, Coach and Momoi's calm faces point to no. But, although they aren't in any way inferior in skill or stamina, the height advantage Yosen has over them makes Kagami feel unsettled.

“ _This isn't going anywhere.”_  he thinks, grunting “ _And the second quarter is almost over.”_

The the loud squeaking sound their shoes make as they attempt to move past each other left and right are beginning to grate on Kagami's ears. The entire situation is becoming increasingly uncomfortable, he feels sluggish, stagnant. And on top of that, it's as if Tatsuya's gaze is biting into his skin. Kagami feels almost overly scrutinized. None of his movements escape him. He never expected less of Tatsuya, but he did expect more of himself.

He's gotten a hold of the ball a grand total of three times throughout these first two quarters. He knows that the deadlock between him and Tatsuya is to blame, and that if he doesn't make something great happen soon then he'll be completely useless again.

“ _I don't want to put this in someone else's hands.”_ he grits his teeth “ _Not this game.”_

The buzzer sounds signaling the second quarter's end. Kagami relaxes his stance. He looks away from Tatsuya and wipes the sweat away from his face with his jersey. Tatsuya lingers for a moment, then leaves him there without a word.

Kagami takes a deep breath, feels Imayoshi put a hand on his back. He lets himself get steered towards their own bench and then their locker room.

The team is quiet. The atmosphere isn't quite strained, but no one is even looking at each other. It's obvious that they're unhappy.

Coach breaks the silence, "How is it?"

His gaze is trained straight at Aomine. Everyone in the room turns to do the same.

"Fine." is all Aomine says.

There are audible sighs of relief from Imayoshi and Momoi.

"Are you going to be able to do it?" Imayoshi asks.

Kagami furrows his eyebrows  _"Do what?"_ he wonders inwardly.

Aomine shrugs "Yeah probably."

"Do you think Murasakibara can do it too?" Coach follows up.

"Ha!" Aomine snorts "Him? No. Not right now he can't."

Both Coach and Imayoshi nod as if enlightened, and Momoi is jotting down notes on her clipboard at lightning speed. Kagami is glad to see that the three of them aside, the rest of the room looks just as confused as he feels.

“That all?” asks Aomine, as he stands up from his seat. “Cause I'm gonna go buy a drink.”

Coach waves a hand “Go.”

Aomine nods and turns to leave.

“Don't wander too far!” Momoi shouts after him.

Aomine rolls his eyes, but leaves the room without another word. Seconds after he steps out, Wakamatsu pulls Imayoshi aside to ask, in a volume far from discreet, "Captain, what the hell is happening?"

Imayoshi sighs, rubbing the arm Wakamatsu pulled, "Do you think Aomine's doing his best, Wakamatsu?" his voice is loud enough to make it clear that he wants the rest of the team listening in.

"I--Uh" Wakamatsu stutters, looking startled "Yeah."

"Well then, do you think he's  _ **at**_ his best?"

"Yeah." replies Wakamatsu, though anyone could tell he was unsure of his answer.

"Well," says Imayoshi "you're not wrong. Normally, this is his best. Normally. But, I've said it before, Aomine's different. There's a state of extreme focus that he can enter. All unnecessary thoughts disappear, and he becomes fully absorbed in his play. He showed it to me once, and I've still got chills from it. Imagine if you're able to use 100% of your capabilities, most people wouldn't be able to do it, but Aomine can."

"I've heard Aomine-kun call it "The Zone"." Momoi interjects "And when he says he can 'probably' do something, it means that he most definitely can."

"The Zone." Kagami mutters, cracking his knuckles. He wonders if it's possible for him to achieve that. “ _No,”_  he thinks “ _I_   **will**   _do it”_ he clenches his fists,  _"I shouldn't accept anything less."_

He doesn't realize that he says the last bit aloud until he hears Momoi whisper "Don't over think it Kagami-kun." right into his ear.

Kagami jumps, cupping the side of his head. "Don't do that!" he exclaims.

"You looked like you were trying to force yourself into the Zone by pure strength of will."

"What? How else would you get into it anyway."

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"I don't know." Momoi repeats "Aomine-kun rarely talks about it and when he does, he's just terrible at explaining. I don't think it's that he doesn't want me to know though, he's just being lazy."

"Not surprising." Kagami grunts. Well, if forcing himself is going to get him nowhere then he'll have to think of something else. “This 'Zone' thing, what's it like?”

“Well it's hard to explain, I haven't actually seen it,” Momoi frowns “in fact this is the first time I'm even hearing about Imayoshi-senpai seeing it. Aomine-kun can be so unfair.”

“So this'll be the first time any of us will ever see it?”

“Yes, even our Teikou teammates haven't seen it. Aomine-kun must think that we'll need it, for him to say he'll be using it.” she sighs, then mutters, in a softer voice “He looks like he's starting to have fun.”

Kagami bites the inside of his cheek “Fun huh.”

“Well if there was ever anyone who would give him trouble it'd be Mukkun,” Momoi shrugs “it's hard to compensate for a difference in height especially since Mukkun's also fast. And since he hates losing he won't take it easy on Aomine-kun, it's really just the kind of situation he would enjoy.”

Kagami grunts. “ _That makes sense,”_   he thinks “ _Aomine always has more fun with his former teammates.”_

He sighs.“ _Meanwhile I'm stuck.”_

“Are you doing alright Kagami-kun?” asks Momoi, her tone consoling.

“Yeah,” Kagami replies quickly, he tips his head to one side and adds “well I'm not losing at least.  _ **We're**_  not losing.”

“But? It sounds like there's a 'but' there.”

Kagami scratches the back of his neck “But I want to win.”

Momoi raises an eyebrow “Against Yosen? Or against Himuro-san?”

Furrowing his eyebrows Kagami replies “Well,  _ **both**_ of course.”

“You'll do fine then.” Momoi grins, patting his shoulder.

“Heh,” Kagami's grins back “we'll see.”

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Aomine's different when they file back into court after half-time. The air around him is thick, and the gleam in his eyes makes it clear that he wants everyone to leave him alone. Kagami can't help but stare, but like everyone else, he keeps away.

Sensing the change as well, Yosen becomes visibly tenser. They keep throwing furtive glances at Aomine's direction and Murasakibara dispenses with all small talk, looking more serious than he'd been in the previous quarters. It's clear that Murasakibara doesn't know  _ **exactly**_ what's coming, but it's also clear that he knows it could be very bad for them.

 _ **Everyone**_ knows apparently. Even Tatsuya seems to be unable to stop himself from glancing their way. If Aomine knew how to pass the damn ball, this would have been the perfect time to take advantage of Yosen's state of distraction. But no one's thinking about that right now. “ _They're probably thinking that we'll win anyway, why interrupt him when he's....”_ Kagami blinks “ _...in the zone.”_

“ _Shit is that all it is?”_ Kagami edges to the right, Tatsuya catches the movement a little later than usual but his screen is still solid. “ _So I should just concentrate real hard then? But then Momoi said not to over think...”_ he grits his teeth “ _Shit, what is he doing that I'm not huh?”_

Kagami takes another glance in Aomine's direction, he blinks, once, and suddenly Aomine is in front of Murasakibara and not behind him. It happens so fast that it doesn't immediately register, even the startled cry from Yosen's number four and Wakamatsu, who are both standing right next to the net, comes a second to late. It feels like the time between the moment Aomine got past Murasakibara and the moment the referee blew his whistle was nearly non-existent.

“ _This is it,”_ Kagami thinks “ _the zone.”_

Everyone on court seems like they're holding their breath. Everyone who isn't on it aren't much different. The shock rattles them all, except it seems, Imayoshi, who is smirking widely and openly now. He has the face of someone who's already won. 

It's Yosen's ball now but Aomine manages to steal it back before they even pass it to Murasakibara. Aomine's never been one to waste movement, and his basketball is always something else to watch. But like this, at one hundred percent, he's mesmerizing. Kagami almost wishes that he'd stop being so goddamn cool. 

There's almost something otherworldly about him, like he's on another plane of existence. And it's true on some level, right now, he's beyond any of them. Beyond even the other man on this court who's been dubbed a “miracle”. Murasakibara on his part looks angry, and is looking angrier by the minute. Aomine is unstoppable. They're just scoring point after point.

Yosen isn't taking the beating lying down, but it's obviously too much for them to handle, and halfway into the third quarter Yosen's coach asks for a time out.

At their bench, Aomine sits apart from them. No one sits beside him. No one talks to him. No one talks to  _ **each other**_ , as if infected by his focus.

Kagami hears several startled cries come from Yosen's bench, he lifts his head to see Tatsuya pulling Murasakibara to himself, from the angle of his arm it's clear that he's grabbed the front of his jersey. Even from here where he sits, he can see that one of Murasakibara's cheeks is red. And that Tatsuya's hands are balled into fists, and trembling slightly. The rest of Yosen seems shocked into silence.

“ _A fight?”_ Kagami's surprised to find them breaking down so soon. He's not sure how to feel about it, he wouldn't have wished something like this on Tatsuya, but if Yosen fought, then it would be better for Touou. 

All of Yosen's eyes are trained at Murasakibara and Tatsuya. Tatsuya's grip is relaxing, and he's leaning his upper body back slightly, in the way that he did when he was surprised. Murasakibara was probably saying something, but there's nothing in any of the faces of Yosen's team members that tells Kagami exactly is going on.

Murasakibara slowly gets up from their bench. Determination, more intense than anything he's ever shown, is plain to see in his eyes. He says something to their coach who in turn yells something back. 

“ _Looks like it's the opposite of a problem.”_ thinks Kagami “ _They're probably more dangerous now.”_

Kagami glances beside him, at the faces of his own teammates. A number of them seem to have seen the display as well  “ _No one's worried though.”_ then, he looks at Aomine “ _Guess it's only natural.”_

He balls his hands into fists “ _God, what are any of us even for anymore.”_ he bites the inside of his lower lip “ _Aomine doesn't need us. Obviously not me.”_ he grits his teeth, gnashing them “ _What the fuck am I going to do now? If we win this, would I have won against Tatsuya? Will we stop being brothers because someone on my team happened to be amazing?”_

He tightens his grip till his fingers turn white. “ _I don't want this. I hate feeling helpless.”_

“Kagami-kun.” Momoi's voice startles him out of his thoughts “The time-out's over.”

“Oh.” he says, taking his towel off his neck, throwing it onto the floor carelessly as he stands up “Right.”

“Are you alright?” she asks worriedly.

“Fine.” he says “I'm fine.”

He doesn't turn back to check if she believes him.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Murasakibara's tying his hair which, judging by the videos they've watched of Yosen, is something he's never done before. Kagami supposed that said something about how serious he is now. His unkempt hair solidified his image as a genius who just didn't care and took it easy. Whether or not he kept that image consciously, tying his hair is still a message, he's telling them all that he won't be holding anything back anymore.

“ _But it's not as if we have to tell Aomine to be on his guard.”_ Kagami thinks, with a hint of bitterness.

He's still overpowering, still too quick for anyone, still too strong for anyone. But, and Kagami doesn't know if he's imagining it or not, his hand may have trembled a little when Murasakibara tried to force back one of his dunks. Since it doesn't happen again till the end of the third quarter however, he dismissed it as a hallucination. Must have been just hopeful thinking on his part, he guesses. Hope that there would be room for some of them to butt in and help win this game.

They start the fourth quarter strong. Aomine's a ball hog but even Wakamatsu isn't complaining. Two minutes in and their lead has widened to nearly twenty points. The entire stadium is rendered near speechless at his plays.

“ _Am I just going to let it end like this?”_ Kagami thinks “ _Is this really all I've got? Do we really need no one but Aomine to win? Am I really this fucking useless?”_

“Don't tell me you're going to stop trying Taiga.” Tatsuya's voice surprises him “You aren't winning yet,” he tips his head in Aomine's direction “he is.”

It's irrational, and most certainly not the place and time to feel this way, but Kagami wants to scream. He wants to shout that he knows he's useless right now but he doesn't know what the fuck to do about it. He wants to ask Tatsuya what the hell he wants him to do. 

They're winning but he feels sick. Utterly, utterly sick. He opens his mouth, to say something, anything at all, in reply to Tatsuya. But nothing comes out.

Suddenly a loud startled cheer bursts from the crowd.

Imayoshi is screaming Aomine's name sounding strangely disbelieving. Tatsuya has already turned to look, and his eyes have gone wide.

Instinctively, Kagami looks up. Murasakibara is dunking the ball into the net, so hard that the hinges of the board whine loudly, as if they're about to snap. Aomine is not far behind him, but he  _ **is**_ behind him.

“How?” Kagami wonders aloud, at the same time Tatsuya says “Atsushi” breathlessly.

“Shit, don't tell me that--” Wakamatsu shouts from behind them, unable to complete his own sentence. Murasakibara's entered the Zone too.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

The next three minutes of the game feel like an eternity. Aomine looks like he's practically shitting himself with joy, but if anything that makes Kagami feel worse.

“Dammit.” he growls, still trying to keep up with two players in the zone. Everyone else, even Tatsuya, has given up. They've left it to the aces. It's impossible to keep up with them. Kagami knows. He knows and it's frustrating. He knows and it makes him feel sick. Not with disgust, but with a mishmash of emotions he can't explain. A lump rises up his throat, persistent, suffocating.

Winning like this is meaningless. The team advances but then what. Aomine still wouldn't be talking to him. Nothing from the rest of his team but pitying glances or orders to suck it up. Tatsuya wouldn't be his brother anymore, and losing Tatsuya like this would be worse than losing him by defeating him himself.

“ _Is this all I'm worth?”_ he wonders. But he doesn't give up, back and forth, back and forth, he runs after them, thinking to himself _“I can't let it end like this, I can't.”_

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

Momoi hasn't seem Aomine enjoy himself like this in years. She wants the team to win of course, but at the same time part of her hopes... part of her hopes that they would lose too, if it means getting her old Dai-chan back.

“ _But as a manager I'll do my best.”_ she thinks with determination, tucking strands of her hair behind her ear.

The Zone is greater than what she'd predicted or imagined. At first she did her best to record her observations in writing, but now she's thought it better to just observe as closely as possible. Someone was probably recording this on video anyway, she'll have to look for videos taken from several angles later. Is it possible, she wonders, to deduce what the Zone will be like for the other Miracles they will still have to face in the tournament from the data she'll get here?

“ _Probably not.”_ she thinks, in response to her own question _“They're all too different.”_

“Momoi-san.” says Coach.

“Yes sir?”

“Do you have any idea how long Aomine-kun can keep this up?”

“Well sir, I would say he only has a couple of minutes left, but please bear in mind that my predictions haven't been on point for the latter half of this --”

Coach raises a hand to interrupt her “Let's assume however that you're right, which is still quite possible, how long does Murasakibara have left?”

“He--” Momoi sees now where he's getting at “He'll probably last till the end of the game sir.”

“I was afraid of that.” Coach huffs. Closing his eyes in thought, he fiddles with that persistent lock of hair that keeps falling on his forehead.

Momoi doesn't dare say anything further. She turns back to the court in time for another face off between the aces. Two minutes or not, Momoi's never known exhaustion to get the better of Aomine. Of course, the last time he had to play this hard, he practiced much more often.

There's a little less than five minutes left in the game, they're leading by nine points, which isn't much considering the circumstances, but Momoi is confident they'll pull through. She has faith in Aomine.

Which is why she doesn't expect it at all when Murasakibara manages to steal the ball while Aomine's mid-run. Aomine's reaction is slow, he runs after him too late. There isn't enough time to stop him from shooting. But--

But _**Kagami's**_ there, swatting the ball from Murasakibara's hands, letting it fall in Sakurai's direction.

Sakurai gapes at him but has enough presence of mind to catch the ball anyway. Kagami looks at him directly in the eyes and points at the direction of their goal, he doesn't check for Sakurai's acknowledgement, he just sprints for their side of the court. Taking the hint, Sakurai throws a baseball pass. 

Momoi can hear herself gasp as Kagami forcefully dunks the ball in, rattling the board almost as hard as Mursakibara did earlier.

By all accounts, this shouldn't be possible.

“This is quite unexpected.” Coach says beside her. More than anything, he seems pleasantly surprised.

“ _Is this what I think it is?”_ Momoi wonders.

“Taiga!” Aomine's voice startles her. This is the first time he's talked since half-time.

Kagami wipes the sweat off his chin with his jersey, and spares Aomine a glance. Aomine grins at him but doesn't say anything more.

It's all the confirmation Momoi needs. Kagami's forced the gate open.

He's in the Zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on the fence about how I've had Kagami turn out here. I'm always afraid that he angsts too much, but I also still firmly believe that Touou, as it is now, isn't a place he can truly be happy in (maybe it'll be another story when the third years retire and Wakamatsu becomes captain). 
> 
> I have my reasons for letting all three of them go into the zone but I'll leave it to you guys to guess.
> 
> ALSO, the fight between Murasakibara and Himuro happens differently here because the circumstances are different, but since the scene was told form Kagami's POV I didn't get the opportunity to write about how it's different in this universe haha.
> 
> [side note: i just realized that i've been writing this fic for two years now and after all that time and 70K+ words they still haven't banged I am so sorry lmao, we're.... getting there.... maybe... something's gonna happen soon....]
> 
> ON THE NEXT UPDATE: I don't know when the next update will be, finals are this March for me so I'll be busy with a lot of school work. But it's also possible that I'll slack of in favor of writing the next chapter. So we'll see.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game against Yosen ends with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't slack off but I did get less sleep last night haha anyway SURPRISE, here you go.

Seeing a player tap into their hidden potential is exhilarating experience. Momoi knew that Kagami would be a great player, but she may have sorely underestimated him. Deep inside, maybe she just assumed that no one could ever stand as equals with any of the Generation of Miracles, at least, not among their high school peers. Maybe she should have paid more attention, maybe then, she would have seen it coming.

Regardless of her (slight) disappointment in herself however, this event is nothing short of wonderful for the team.

With Kagami in the Zone, Aomine's limit doesn't come at the predicted time. He's not playing as flawlessly as before, but he's still leagues better than his normal self. Momoi's theory is that he hasn't needed to exert as much energy because Kagami's picking up his slack, and then some. He can afford to be a little more careless. Their lead increased to thirteen points, with Murasakibara unable to handle both of them at once, and while the rest of those those on court are still unable to keep up with those of them in the Zone.

Both Yosen and their own players still seem to be in shock about Kagami entering the Zone which has worked to their advantage. Had they gathered their wits quicker Yosen might have thought of something to disrupt the flow (Momoi can think of several ways to do so).

Aomine is still an incorrigible ball hogger, which Momoi supposed, isn't something that would simply change because another one of their players managed to get in the Zone. But he's started taking shots he knows he'll miss, likely, Momoi thinks, because he knows Kagami will beat Murasakibara in getting the rebound.

And he's not wrong.

One minute left on the clock, and they still lead by thirteen points. Aomine throws the ball from the right side of the court, Yosen's captain and Himuro both try to block it and fail. Murasakibara tries to catch it by the net and succeeds, but Kagami immediately slaps the ball out of his hands from behind. Aomine snatches the ball before it hits the ground and takes a shot that falls into the net unhindered.

The score's 120-105 in their favor.

Yosen's ball. Their point guard tries passing it to Murasakibara but Aomine intercepts it and makes a beeline for the other team's goal, Murasakibara reacts fast, runs almost side by side with him ready to block the coming shot.

Aomine stops by the three point line and takes his shot but Murasakibara successfully blocks him. The ball rolls toward the half court line where Yosen's number eleven attempts to pick it up. Kagami beats him too it. Kagami dribbles the ball exactly twice before he jumps from the free throw line moving for a dunk, both Murasakibara and Yosen's number four jump in an attempt to stop him but he throws the ball into the hoop when he's still only about a little less than a meter away from it.

The audience's cheers roar. Momoi gapes open mouthed, _“_ _Is this the secret weapon Alex-san taught him?”_ she wonders, before glancing at the clock. 50seconds.

Yosen's ball again. Murasakibara stays closer to the sideline from where their point guard passes him the ball so neither Kagami or Aomine manage to intercept. Aomine runs for the Touou's goal and stands half a meter in front of the hoop arms splayed wide. He's grinning, Momoi notices. Grinning wider than she's seen him grin in the past year. To be honest, she's not sure any of his smiles in the past couple of years could be properly called a grin the same way this one can.

“ _He looks like he's having so much fun.”_ she thinks, feeling tears threatening to come out of her eyes.

Murasakibara gets to their goal seconds later, Kagami and the rest of the players on his tail. Imayoshi lingers by the three point line near Yosen's goal. Yosen's number eleven cautiously stays by the half court line, glancing back and forth between him and the players on the other side of the court, slightly confused.

Murasakibara moves for a dunk, Aomine jumps and grabs the ball from the other side to stop him just as Kagami stations himself behind him, but Murasakibara's overpowering him.

Kagami jumps, places his hand behind Aomine's and pushes with him. Together they manage to shake Murasakibara's grip and the ball falls into Sakurai's hands. Sakurai quickly passes it to Wakamatsu who then passes it to Imayoshi, who, without wasting a second, shoots from the three point line. Yosen's number eleven reacts too late. The net barely moves when the ball swishes in.

123 - 105

30 seconds on the clock.

Yosen's ball again. Murasakibara sticks close to the sideline again to prevent Kagami and Aomine from intercepting the pass to him. Kagami reacts first this time, stations himself by their goal in a defensive stance. He has a dazed look on his face, much like the one Aomine had when he first entered the Zone. Three quarters of relative inaction seem to have worked to his benefit, it's apparent that he has bounds of energy left.

Aomine on the other hand seems a bit out of breath.

And yet, he continues to grin ear to ear.

Murasakibara moves for another dunk. His actions, Momoi notes, have become more aggressive but also more repetitive. An obvious indication of his mounting frustration. Kagami blocks the dunk almost too easily.

But the ball falls into the hands of Himuro, who quickly moves to take a shot. Aomine and Imayoshi both move to block him, and succeed in doing so, although the ball falls outside of court. The referee blows his whistle. Yosen's ball again.

123 – 105

20 seconds on the clock.

Momoi bites her lip. _“I take it back,”_ she thinks _“maybe there_ _wa_ _sn't a way to change the flow of this game.”_ After all at this point Yosen had no choice but to pass to Murasakibara. With two Touou players in the Zone, it was practically impossible for anyone else to score, especially considering how difficult it is for Murasakibara already. The only way they could have changed the flow of the game was through Murasakibara.

“ _And Mukkun doesn't have enough experience playing against players like Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun. Whereas Kagami-kun has probably played against a good number of players who are like Murasakibara in America, and Aomine-kun used to play games where he had big disadvantages as a child.”_

“ _You have to lose to reach your full potential, I think that's what Kagami-kun has proven to us today.”_

Kagami manages to use that secret weapon of his again, and it's still amazing to watch the second time around. How much strength must require for that shot to be accurate? And for that matter, how much lower body strength must it take to stay in the air long enough to pull off that move...

“Looks like Kagami-kun's roadwork has paid off.” Momoi comments.

“True.” Coach replies, looking smug “It's good that at least one of our aces studiously practices.”

Momoi turns to coach in shock. _“_ **One** _of our_ **aces** ” she thinks, wide-eyed. She turns back to the court in time to see Kagami block another shot.

“ _Yes,”_ she thinks _“two aces.”_

Five seconds left on the clock.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

The buzzer sounds signaling the end of the fourth quarter.

Kagami catches his breath, and looks up at the scoreboard.

126 -105.

“ _We won.”_ he closes his eyes _“This is the end for me and Tatsuya.”_

He hears Aomine shout his name from behind him, and as soon as he turns around Aomine grabs his cheeks and bumps their foreheads together, hard enough to hurt a little.

“What the hell!” Kagami shouts, pushing him away and rubbing the reddening spot on his forehead.

Aomine just laughs at him and jogs away to line up with the rest of the team.

Kagami continues to rub his forehead as he lines up too, thoroughly bewildered.

“ _Are we... are we talking now?”_ he wonders.

Thoughts of where he is with Aomine are cut short however, as he meets Tatsuya's gaze. _“_ _This is it.”_ he thinks, biting his lower lip. He only hears it vaguely when the referee shouts their win and tells them to bow.

Aomine walks away immediately after, obviously trying to avoid the customary handshakes. Murasakibara seems to have enough courtesy to stay but is glaring at everyone. Imayoshi shakes hands with Yosen's captain and Kagami can hear them both apologizing for their aces. Wakamatsu is simultaneously apologizing for and complaining about Aomine while shaking all the other player's hands, and Sakurai is just.... apologizing in general.

“ _What a team.”_ he thinks, turning back to Tatsuya.

“I lost, Taiga.” he says “As per our promise, I won't call myself your brother anymore.”

Hearing it out loud hurts, but somehow, the hardship of the game feels like it steeled him for this moment. It stings, it stings a lot, but exhaustion leaves him a bit numbed. He looks at his feet.

“Yeah, I know.”, and then wryly he thinks _“Maybe I'll feel it more later.”_

They head back to their bench, but are stopped when they hear Murasakibara loudly exclaim that he's quitting basketball now that he's lost.

“Oh no!” Momoi says to Aomine as the rest of them approach the bench “Do you think Mukkun's really quitting?”

Aomine snorts “Of course not.”

“And what makes you so sure of that?” she huffs.

“Well I mean... he got into the Zone.”

“So what!?”

“Well--” Aomine stops then shakes his head “Nevermind, you're annoying.” he says, standing up and grabbing his bag.

“Aomine-kun! That's completely unfair! You're keeping vital information we can use! Don't think I don't know about you showing the Zone too Imayoshi-san because I _**do**_!”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Aomine whines.

Coach clears his throat, and claps his hands once. “Head back to our locker room, now.”

The team shouts an ascent in unison and they walk back into their locker room in good cheer. Kagami lags behind everyone, fiddles with the ring on his neck. Just before they get enter the locker room,he removes it.

“Uhm, Momoi?” he starts cautiously as he approaches her by Aomine's locker.

She turns to him smiling, but something in his face he thinks, makes her face fall “Is something the matter Kagami-kun?”

“Uhm,” he scratches the back of his neck “here.” he holds out a hand.

Momoi furrows her brow in confusion but holds out a hand as well. Kagami places his ring in her hand.

“Oh! This is the ring you always wear.” says Momoi “But why give it to me?”

“It was a gift from Tatsuya.” says Kagami, if he was going to ask her to do this he might as well give her a bit of an explanation “I want you to destroy it.”

“What!?” Momoi shouts, louder than Kagami would have liked. “Bu-but why!?”

People are staring, behind Momoi, Kagami can see that even Aomine is staring.

“Well...” he takes a deep breath, unnerved by the attention “We made a promise, and now... Now I can't keep that thing anymore.”

Momoi looks around them, then grabs his wrist. “Come with me!” she says, pulling him outside.

“What do you mean destroy it?” she demands, once they're out of earshot.

Kagami turns away “Didn't you all hear what Tatsuya said last time?”

“We did! But all this time I thought he was just angry because you wouldn't play against him seriously since he's your brother.”

“That's--” Kagami sighs “well that _**is**_ why he's angry, but there's something else. We made a promise.”

“A promise?”

“Yeah, kind of a bet. If I won against him, then we couldn't be brothers anymore.”

Well, thinks Kagami, not that they could have remained brothers even if he lost. They couldn't. Not really.

To his surprise, Momoi looks enraged by this “That's stupid!” she shouts. She pulls one of Kagami's hands and forcefully gives the ring back to him. “I'm not taking this!”

She points at a nearby exit “Chase after him!” she commands.

“W-What?”

“I saw Himuro-san exit through there just as we got out of our locker room. _**Chase after him!**_ ”

“But--”

“If you don't chase after him you will regret it for the rest of your life!” she exclaims, more desperately this time, but with just as much determination as her last remarks.

Kagami opens his mouth, then closes it, presses his lips into a thin line.

Momoi gently puts a hand on his arm “Brothers fight all the time.” she says “They don't stop being brothers just because they fight. Talk to him Kagami-kun.”

Kagami looks at the exit she'd pointed at _“She's right.”_ he thinks _“I would regret it._ _I'd regret not even trying.”_

Feeling determination well up in him, he thanks Momoi, and runs for the exit.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

“Why don't I feel like I won...” Aomine muses aloud in the locker rooms, as he lays down on one of the benches, waiting for the rest of his teammates to finish their preparations to leave.

“Because Kagami saved your ass.” Wakamatsu replies, voice louder and more smug than necessary.

Aomine glares at him, and is about to tell him to “Shut the fuck up” when he's forcibly pulled off the bench. He stumbles a little before he's upright and is surprised to find that it's Satsuki who's pulled him up.

“What the heck Satsuki?”

“Come with me!” she says, before pulling him out of the lockers rooms and then through the nearest stadium exit.

“Where the hell are you taking me?” Aomine shouts, as Satsuki continues to drag him along.

“Shhh!!” she turns to him, cupping her hand over his mouth “Be quiet, Kagami-kun might hear you.”

He shakes the hand off “What?” he asks, voice softer despite himself “Why wouldn't we want Taiga to hear us?”

“Because,” she whispers, peering over the wall they're hiding behind “We're spying on him.” she grabs his wrist again and runs to hide behind another wall further down.

“We're what!?” Aomine stage whispers.

Momoi shushes him again. “There they-- Ah!”

The look of shock and distress on her face confuses him enough to make him peek beyond their hiding place.

There, a few meters away from them, is an angry looking Alex, an injured Himuro, and Taiga, who is dodging punches from some asshole in a red jersey. Aomine immediately starts stalking over. Satsuki grabs his sleeve in an effort to stop him, but he shakes her off.

As he gets a clearer view of the asshole's face, Aomine fumes _“It's that fucking bastard Haizaki.”_ he thinks, clenching his fist _“What the fuck is he doing here? How is he still a player?”_

“Oi! Haizaki!” He shouts, moving towards him, ready to throw a punch. Haizaki turns his head towards his direction but before Aomine can attack him a ball comes flying past the side of his head and nearly hits Haizaki.

The bastard, unfortunately, manages to catch it.

“Hey now,” says Haizaki, and damn, fuck just hearing his voice pisses Aomine off _**so much**_ “You've got nerve throwing a ball at me outta nowhere Ryouta.”

Aomine turns to look behind him and finds that Kise is indeed standing there with his hand out.

“You should know better than to stoop down to his level Aominicchi.” he says as he lowers his hand to his side, but all the while, he's glaring at Haizaki.

“Aomine!” Taiga shouts, sounding confused “And Kise! You guys know him!?”

Clicking his tongue, Aomine turns to glare at Haizaki too and says “Unfortunately.”

“His name's Haizaki Shougo.” says Kise “He was a starter in Teikou before I joined the team."

“But Akashi forced you to retire.” Aomine grits out “So why the fuck are you here?”

“What are you so mad about Daiki?” Haizaki snorts, he glances at Taiga “Oh is it cause I tried to punch your teammate? Didn't know you were a team player now too.”

“Shut up!” Aomine shouts. “It's shit like this that got you kicked out!”

Kise puts a hand on his shoulder “Stand down Aominecchi.” Aomine shrugs his hand away, Kise doesn't really seem to mind, his full attention is on Haizaki “Shougo-kun, I thought you quit basketball.” he says “Why are you back?”

"There's no real reason.” says Haizaki “It ain't revenge either. I'm just killing time.” he smirks, and it takes everything in Aomine to prevent himself from trying to punch him again “I don't really care about basketball, but after I quit they started making a huge fuss about something called the Generation of Miracles. So I thought I'd grab that seat back again from one of you five. I was actually a starter, so if I take one down, nobody can complain.” he drops the ball in his hand “More so if you're my next opponent, Ryouta. Since you never once won against me and never settled the score before you got named the fifth man, yeah?"

Taiga makes a surprised sound, Aomine clicks his tongue again.

“What are you trying to say?” Aomine snaps.

“He's saying he wants to replace me by beating me.” Kise sighs “Well, Shougo-kun. I never cared about that title,” his scowl deepens “but I'm not going to just sell it cheap by giving it to the likes of you.”

“I'm not buying it.” Haizaki lifts his chin to look down on Kise “I told you Ryouta, I want it so just hand it over, _**idiot**_.”

Haizaki doesn't wait for a reply, the coward, he just turns around and walks away. Aomine's hands are trembling as he stares in his wake.

“Are you all alright!?” he hears Satsuki shout, as she runs toward them.

“Momoi!?” Taiga shouts back, still confused.

“Oh no!” Satsuki says when she gets to them “We should take Himuro-san to the hospital.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I think it's best if I go to my coach for that.” says Himuro “Taiga!”

Taiga flinches, but slowly turns to look at him.

“Why did you come here?”

“Uh--” Taiga opens his mouth, gives Aomine an indecipherable look, then sighs “Sorry.” he says smiling shyly “We'll talk next time. For sure. I'll... I'll call you later, is that ok?”

Himuro stares at him stoically for a moment before sighing. “Sure.” he says “I'll be waiting then.”

Taiga nods “We'll take you to your teammates.” he moves to hoist Himuro up but the latter shakes his head.

“No it's fine.” he says “I can walk, thank you.”

Taiga leaves with him anyway, followed by his mentor, Alex, and even Satsuki. Aomine turns to Kise.

“You better kick that asshole's ass Kise.” he says.

“Of course.” Kise snorts “I never thought I'd see you this angry Aominecchi.”

“You know that bastard's always gotten on my nerves. Makes me mad just _**thinking**_ about that disgusting guy.”

Kise hums thoughtfully “Well, that's true but, you've never really tried to punch him before have you?”

Aomine's eyes narrow “What are you trying to say?”

“Just that.” Kise shrugs “You never really tried to punch him. I was shocked.”

Aomine rolls his eyes “Shut up.” he says, before doing an about face to walk back to Touou's locker rooms.

“Is that how you thank people for stopping you from getting suspended!?” Kise calls after him.

Aomine just flips him off.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

After leaving Tatsuya in his Coach's capable hands, Momoi returns to Touou's locker rooms and Kagami sends Alex home in a taxi.

“Be careful on your way home Taiga.” Alex says to him before leaving, uncharacteristically serious.

“I will.” Kagami replies “I'll have people with me.”

Alex smiles at him “I know.”

Once her taxi's out of sight, Kagami dashes to meet up with the rest of the team only to find the locker room empty.

“ _Did they leave without me!?”_ He thinks incredulously, opening his locker _“No, my stuff isn't here anymore, they must be waiting in the bus.”_

Rushing out of the locker room, he runs for the exit Momoi told him they'd leave from, only to find the bus gone.

“What the fuck!” he says aloud. _“How could they just leave me! And with my stuff!”_

A familiar deep voice calls out to him.He to his right he spots Aomine leaning against a pillar. He lifts a bag that Kagami recognizes is his and throws it at him.

“You fixed my stuff for me?” Kagami asks as he catches it, tone disbelieving.

“Of course not.” Aomine snorts “Satsuki did.”

“Where--” Kagami slings the bag over his shoulder “Where are they?”

“They went ahead.” Aomine says, walking over to him.

“What!” now he's confused “Then why are _**you**_ here?”

“Heh.” Aomine grins “Make me dinner at your place, let's celebrate.”

“Bu-But it's late!” Kagami doesn't know why that's the best response he could think of. There are plenty of other things to ask. And there are plenty of reasons to say no.

“So? I can sleep over.”

Kagami resists the urge to slap his forehead, Aomine is just impossible. “But Alex'll be there.” he protests “She sleeps naked!”

“Do you _**honestly**_ think that that will convince me to _**not**_ to sleep over?”

“You--” that's actually a very good point, but Kagami doesn't want to concede “I don't even know what to say to that.”

Aomine snorts and walks up to him, bumps their shoulders together. He lingers there, leaning against him “You did good Taiga.” he says softly, eyes closed and grinning.

Kagami can feel the heat rush into his face. He covers his mouth in an effort to conceal how red he knows he must be. “Th-Thanks I guess.” he mutters.

Aomine leans away, and walks backwards, facing him. He tips his chin up and smirks “So how about that dinner?”

Kagami gapes for a minute, before snorting “You're an asshole.” he says, bumping shoulders with Aomine again as he brushes past him. He hears a laugh before Aomine jogs up to him, still smirking.

“Well then,” he says “lead the way.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More vaguely romantic (or not vaguely... hmmm...) aokaga in the next chapter which will be about the sleep over (!!!!)
> 
> Also, yes, Kaijou and Fukuda are facing off earlier in this universe. Mostly because I needed this to happen here, but hey, I already established that the match orders here are different since Touou faces off with Yosen first right? Right. Haha, at this point I'm not following canon's time line anymore, I'm just going for the sequence of events feels right to me for the purpose of the story and aokaga's relationship. 
> 
> I don't know when the next update will be but I am excited to write the next chapter so idk I might slack off or just get less sleep again lol. Of course I have a paper due in the coming week plus some other stuff so the update definitely won't be coming next week at least. We shall see.
> 
> Thank you for all your comments and kudos, I really appreciate them, I'll try to reply when I can, 
> 
> P.S. I haven't edited the last chapter again and I only reread this one like twice, will get back to it when I'm less busy sorry for all the typos and errors.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine sleeps over and Kagami regrets everything (but not really)

They're at the door of his apartment when Kagami realizes that he should probably tell Alex to put some pants on before letting Aomine in. He tells Aomine to stay put which results in whining, but Kagami would really rather live with getting called a killjoy repeatedly than watch someone perv on his mentor.

Alex is (blessedly) not naked when he finds her in his bedroom but she's not wearing any pants either and it takes throwing clothes at her face and some screaming before she puts one on. There's nothing he can do about her wearing a tank top but at least he manages to convince her to put on a bra.

Alex is smirking at him when he finally lets Aomine in. Kagami knows that look, it's the look she puts on when she's making fun of him. He has no idea what he's being made fun of _**for**_ , but he figures it's better if he doesn't know.

Aomine behaves himself when he's finally allowed in. Which comes as a complete surprise, especially since he glances at Alex's chest only twice during dinner. (Sure Kagami elbowed him right in the ribs both of those times but still, practically a milestone. He considers texting Momoi about it, but that would be volunteering information about how Aomine is staying over at his house, so he decides not to.)

The tv blares as Aomine and Alex start enthusiastically talking about Alex's WNBA days. Kagami washes dishes, shouts that they should at least turn the volume down if they're not even watching. By the time Kagami's done drying everything, Alex is yawning and telling them both that she's turning in.

“I'll sleep in your guest room,” she says (she means the room that would have been his dad's room, completely untouched because Alex insists on invading his space) “your room's kind of crowded tonight huh?” she waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

He throws a dishrag at her “Stop doing that.” he says “And anyway he's sleeping on the couch.”

“What!” Aomine protests “Thought your bed had room for two.”

“It doesn't.” says Kagami, just as Alex says “It does.”

“Your room it is.” Aomine declares.

“ _Is there no one in my life who respects privacy?”_ Kagami thinks mournfully.

“Fine. I think I have a futon, I'll go get it after I take a shower.” He points a finger towards Aomine “Don't touch anything.”

“Yes mom.”

Alex's eyebrows shoot up. “Oooh, roleplaying.” she teases.

Kagami glares at her, face flushed. His only consolation is that she says it in English so Aomine has no idea what she's saying.

Aomine looks to him as if asking for a translation but Kagami just rolls his eyes.

“Oh yeah, gimme your jersey, I'll wash it with mine so they'll be dry by tomorrow.”

Aomine opens his bag and throws his rumpled jersey and shorts at him. Kagami scrunches his nose and frowns at him, but opts not to comment about how stressful it must be to have Aomine as a son. He throws their clothes into the washing machine before stepping into the shower, sighing as the water hits his back.

Under the warm spray of water, his current situation truly hits him. Sleeping in the same room as Aomine can't be a good idea, right? Is he thinking about it too much? They're... well they're friends he guesses. Sleepovers tend to happen between friends. It's normal.

But then Alex was making such a big deal out of it, making fun of him for allowing this to happen. Was she insinuating they were up to something... something sexual?

Kagami blushes, rubs his arm a little too hard with a loofah. “Ow, crap.” his scratched skin turns pink.

“ _I'm... thinking too much.”_ he decides, afraid of going down Alex's train of thought.

He thinks instead on what he's going to tell Tatsuya. He probably can't call him tonight like he previously promised. He'll have to text him, say that their team's ace has invaded their apartment, and that they should maybe talk in person sometime instead. It'll give him more time to think about what exactly to say at least. He thinks Tatsuya might appreciate the extra time to think too.

Kagami felt ready when Momoi told him to run after Tatsuya but now he's hitting a wall. _“What is there to say except 'I still want to be brothers?'.”_ He leans his head back against the tiled shower walls and sighs _“I wonder how long he's staying in Tokyo...”_

There's no one in the living room when he gets out of the shower. Kagami immediately dreads what they might have been up to with him gone, but a quick peek in the guest room reveals Alex's sleeping form, which eases at least one worry.

Aomine on the other hand, seems to have done exactly the opposite of what he'd been told to and is browsing basketball magazines on Kagami's bed like he owns the place.

“Where do you hide your porn?” he asks when Kagami's just one step into the room.

Kagami splutters something unintelligible before Aomine continues with: “No seriously, I turned this place upside down and I couldn't find it, must be a real good hiding place.” he looks up from the magazine he's browsing “Wait, is it in your computer?”

“There's no porn.” Kagami manages to say, still feeling completely blindsided by this conversation. _“But really, what did I expect from this guy?”_ he thinks.

Aomine laughs “No seriously, where? Satsuki keeps confiscating mine, so I need better hiding place ideas.”

“I said there's no porn.” he looks away uncomfortably “It's not like I have time for that stuff.”

“You're kidding me,” Aomine sits up, disbelief all over his face “this isn't a prank is it? You really don't masturbate?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Kagami can feel his face overheating, why were they even talking about this “It's none of your business!”

“Sure,” the shell shocked look hasn't left Aomine's face “but like, isn't that unhealthy?”

“It's not like--” he can't believe he's saying this “--I mean it's not like I _**never**_ do it ok. It's just been a while, I've been too tired to think about that stuff. I gotta wake up extra early to make lunch for _**someone**_ remember.”

“Right.” Aomine nods rubbing his chin, looking thoughtful. A sign of danger if Kagami ever saw one. “But when you _**do**_ jack off--” _Oh god_ “-- what do you use? I mean since you apparently don't have porn anywhere.”

Kagami really doesn't want to talk about this with Aomine. The fact that Aomine isn't even making fun of him, and is instead bizarrely serious, makes the situation so much more mortifying.

“I mean do you just use your imagination? Or are you one of those guys who deletes his entire search history after they rub one off?”

“Why are we talking about this?” Kagami groans, putting his face in his hands. “And why are you on my bed? You're not sleeping there.”

 _"Especially_ _after this conversation.”_ he adds mentally.

Aomine shrugs “I just want to understand how a guy living alone could not have porn anywhere in his house.”

“Not everyone is you.” Kagami snaps.

“Shut up, I'm normal. For all I know you jack off to basketballs.” he pauses “Wait you don't jack off to basketballs do you?”

“Holy shit, would you stop saying 'jack off'.”

“What's wrong with 'jack off'? Everyone says it. Stop being a virgin, man.”

“ _Well I'd have to have sex to do that.”_ Kagami thinks, and it's not until Aomine's eyes widen that he realizes he's said that out loud _“Well shit.”_

“I am just learning so much about you tonight.” Aomine smirks, and ok, _**now**_ he's making fun of him “This explains so much.”

Kagami does his best to glare threateningly “What, you're saying you've had sex? You don't seem like you have any more experience than I do!”

“Wouldn't you like to know.” Aomine snorts “Let's just say I've done some stuff.”

He's about to ask him what the hell he means by that before he decides it's just really not worth it.

“Whatever, let's not talk about this, get off my bed, you're filthy.”

“Hah, yes mom.” Aomine rolls off his bed and lands on the floor in a crouch. Kagami bets that he thinks that was cool. (It was a little bit cool. Not really. Sort of.)

“Can I borrow your shower?” Aomine asks as he dusts himself off, as if Kagami's floor was dirtier than his clothes (he's pretty sure it's not).

“Well you're not going to school tomorrow smelling like that so--” he pushes him out into the hall “-- extra towel's already there. Clothes too. Do you need me to tell you where the bathroom is again?”

“Nah, I remember.”

He's off without another word and Kagami sets to replacing his bed covers and laying down the futon for Aomine to sleep on. He texts Tatsuya about his unexpected company, then asks if he can meet up for coffee that Sunday, before settling onto his bed with his headphones. He closes his eyes, ready to drift off.

He's in that 'nearly asleep' state when he feels his bed shift and he jolts awake. Aomine's skin is cold from his shower, and his damp hair is dripping onto the sheets. Kagami makes a noise in protest but Aomine just lays there, drowsily waving a hand before falling asleep. He even has the gall the snore.

Kagami tries shaking him off but he's too tired to made a real effort. _“_ Goddammit.” he whispers, trying to nudge Aomine's body with the side of his own.

“ _There's no way that_ **I'm** _going to sleep on the floor.”_ he thinks indignantly “ _I mean it's my bed.”_

He yawns, eyes drooping. He makes a half-hearted effort to nudge Aomine off the bed again, but he can feel fatigue creeping up on him. Eventually he surrenders to sleep, and Aomine's stupid face is the last thing he sees.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

His alarm rings before the sun rises like it usually does, but the arm on his chest keeps him stuck in bed. It almost feels like Aomine's intentionally pressing him down to spite him, but the trail of drool tells him that nope, he's still unconscious.

“Aomine I need to get up.” he says loudly.

In response, Aomine just rolls onto his side, mumbles random syllables, and lifts his other hand to pat Kagami's cheek before going back to sleep. Now there are two arms trapping him. And a leg.

Great.

If Kagami took the easy route and just went back to sleep he was sure Alex would find them like this and he would never live it down. Clearly the best thing to do was to push him off.

It's a struggle, but Kagami manages to shove Aomine off him. He leaves him there to hang off the edge of his bed to make breakfast and bentos.

His body feels oddly sluggish, so he decides to forgo his usual morning jog. It must be an effect of going into the Zone, he figures, and he resolves to build up his stamina. He also decides to let Aomine sleep in a little bit, just enough so they won't be late for their first class. He was probably just as tired if not more so. He was in the Zone longer after all.

Alex trudges into the kitchen when he's nearly finished packing their lunches and perks up at the smell of coffee. Kagami hands her a large mug full and she lets out a loud satisfied sigh on the first sip.

“Where's genius boy?” she asks.

“Still asleep,” he says, placing the lids on both bentos “I'll wake him up in five minutes.”

Alex hums, thoughtful “So how was last night?”

Kagami doesn't even have to look back to know she's leering at him. “Stop that.”

“Stop what?” and she's all faux innocence.

“You _**know**_ what.” he grunts “It's not like that ok?”

“But? I'm hearing a but there.”

“There's no but. It just isn't like that. Didn't you see him staring at your boobs last night?”

“Taiga, you _**know**_ that's never a deal breaker.”

Kagami's about to reply when he hears a loud yawn and Aomine sleepily mumbling “What's for breakfast?”

He throws a pointed look at Alex's direction to tell her to keep her mouth shut, and says “Waffles. Just give me a minute.”

“I'll time ya.” Aomine grins, taking his seat next to Alex.

Kagami turns his back on them and gets to preparing the batter. It's all routine for him so it doesn't take too long. But he nearly jumps out of his skin when Aomine slings an arm around his shoulders as he pours the batter into his waffle iron.

“It's been more than a minute.” Aomine says. He doesn't sound like he's complaining, but he definitely sounds like he's teasing. He playfully knees Kagami's thigh which almost makes him yelp.

“Quit it.” he says, trying to shrug Aomine's arm off “You'll make me spill the batter.”

Aomine lets his arm fall of his shoulders. He moves away from him, but not before lightly taping his cheek with the back of his hand.

Kagami frowns at him, but Aomine's too busy staring longingly at the batter to notice. He sighs, pressing the waffle iron shut.

“Give it a minute.” he says, when Aomine just stands there, apparently intent on watching the waffles cook.

Kagami turns to pour himself some coffee and spots Alex smirking at them. He rolls his eyes at her and goes back to minding the waffle iron. “Hey,” he nudges Aomine's calf with his foot “make yourself useful and get the butter and syrup.”

Aomine slumps against the counter “I'm too tired.”

Kagami shoves his calves hard. “You're not the one who got up at ass o' clock to cook your fucking lunch. The fridge is just two steps away anyway.”

“Why don't _**you**_ get it then huh?”

“Uh, cause I've been up since ass o' clock? And since you're not getting any of those waffles if you don't.”

“I'm right here by the waffle iron,” Aomine snorts “I could grab one before you could even react.”

“Yeah and when you burn yourself I'll just stand here laughing at you.”

“Isn't it too early for this boys?” Alex says, grinning into her coffee.

“It's always too early for this.” Kagami sighs, before giving Aomine another shove “Go get the butter asshole.”

“Fine.” Aomine grunts, before making way too big a show of opening the refrigerating and taking out the butter and syrup. Every movement is ridiculously exaggerated and Kagami is trying his best not to laugh out loud, pasting on an annoyed facade. He might be failing a little bit.

The waffles turn out ok but Aomine acts like they're the best waffles he's ever tasted (as it turns out, he's only had waffles like twice in his life so there's a good chance that they are). Alex raises an eyebrow at the noises he makes, then leers at Kagami again as if the embarrassing display meant anything other than Aomine being disgusting.

Alex opts to go back to sleep after they finish eating while the two of them hurry to get ready for school. Since it takes a long while for Aomine to locate his socks in Kagami's laundry hamper, they barely make it to their train. Despite this, possibly because of the time of day, they still manage to get seats.

Kagami's just getting comfortable when Aomine says “So about what we were talking about last night.”

His hand immediately shoots up to cover Aomine's mouth. “Shut up!” he whispers furiously.

An old lady sitting across them narrows her eyes at them, and Kagami feels intimidated enough to retract his hand.

“Don't talk about that here.” he grumbles “Or ever actually. Let's just not talk about it ever again.”

“Geez, don't be such a prude cherry boy.”

“This is really not the right place for this.” it will never be the right place for this.

Aomine rolls his eyes “Fine. I'll just e-mail you about it.”

“Don't you fucking dare.” Kagami says, elbowing his side.

“Ow! That hurts!” Aomine shouts too loudly. The old lady across them is just outright glaring now.

Kagami shushes him “You're bothering people!”

“Then quit hitting me.” Aomine snaps, rubbing the painful spot.

Kagami sighs, this is going to be a long day.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

It's only lunchtime and Kagami can't take it anymore. Aomine's always in his space, always way too close and hanging all over him. It's that time after their match against Seirin only worse somehow. It's like he's got a piece of gum stuck to his hair. Kagami knows it's not just his imagination because Sakurai's been giving them weird looks.

It wasn't annoying at first. Maybe, he might even have liked the attention a little bit. Just a little. (Very minutely.) But he's been bugging him not just in between classes but also _**during**_ them and now he's stealing food from Kagami's bento even though he made him the exact same one.

“Stop that!” Kagami growls, kicking the leg of Aomine's chair.

Aomine tips back a little bit but in a show of his stupidly good control of his body, he quickly grips the edge of his seat with one hand and heaves his entire body forward, chair and all, with a little swing of his legs. It's just enough to get him upright, he doesn't tumble forward even a little bit.

Then he just keeps on eating as if nothing happened. It's infuriating.

The thing is Aomine hasn't exactly done anything wrong. It's just that the way he keeps slinging his arm around his neck, and the way he bumps their shoulders together, or the way he keeps tapping Kagami's cheek with an amused look on his face – it's too touchy feely and Kagami's just not used to it at all. It's bothering him but aside from stealing his food Aomine's not being as much of an asshole as usual. Maybe that makes it even more bothering. It's... different.

He keeps doing it even on the bus on the way to the stadium that afternoon. Momoi keeps giggling about it which makes Kagami wonder if she's been talking to Alex again.

“Aomine and Kagami will both be on the bench today.” Coach announces in the locker room “Unless it looks like we need them.” his voice suggests that he doubts that, but at least it's out there, Kagami thinks.

Usually he'd feel bad about being benched, but if he can conserve his energy for another game against one of Aomine's old teammates then that's not so bad. Aomine clicks his tongue beside him, but Kagami can tell that he's not too upset either. Maybe he's more tired than he thought.

The team they're up against is good, but Kagami can tell why coach thought they could afford some downtime. It looks like they're intentionally trying to slow down the pace, which is a good tactic against their team since they focus mainly on offense, but Imayoshi is way too smart to let the team fall for that kind of trick so it doesn't really work. They adjust to the slower pace, and keep the flow of the game in their favor.

“Imagine how much harder it would have been to slow down if you two started.” Momoi comments offhandedly.

Kagami frowns but he doesn't object. She... might have a point there. Maybe there's more than one reason Coach decided to bench them.

Aomine disagrees “Please, as if that kind of trick would have worked on me.”

Momoi huffs, unimpressed “You don't know that Aomine-kun, you're not playing.”

“Coach!” Aomine shouts, catching Momoi by surprise “Can I play in the fourth quarter?”

Momoi hits his shoulder but Aomine ignores her.

Coach throws an exasperated look their way, but he looks like he might actually consider humoring him.

“Taiga too.” Aomine adds.

“Oi, don't rope me into this.” Kagami whispers furiously.

“Last three minutes.” says Coach “That's my final offer.”

Aomine doesn't even thank him, he just does a fist pump and slaps Kagami on the back.

Momoi sighs and shakes her head, and, despite himself, Kagami feels a smile tugging on his lips.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before writing this fic, I didn't know that Kagami was from a single parent family. Since I've mentioned his parents multiple time, this fic is an AU in mainly 3 ways: Kagami's in Touou, Kagami's mom is still around, and Alex is married. I wanted this to be kind of just a canon divergence type of AU but it's turned out differently lol. Also if there's something that doesn't exactly jive with canon I probably changed it cause I wanted to (I usually specify that I did in my end notes) or because I was under false impressions about canon at the time and am too lazy to change anything lmao. 
> 
> Another thing, I get a lot of questions about whether or not Aomine and Kagami will get together. Kagami's had romantic feelings for a while though he's been actively trying to stop it from progressing (the narration vaguely alludes to this beginning chapter 7, sorry if it wasn't clear. this really tells me that there is still so much i need to improve haha). Aomine is... well I'll leave it to you guys to make conclusions about where his feelings are right now haha. But regardless, the answer is yes, they will get together. Eventually.
> 
> Well it's extremely late in my time zone so I'll have too fix whatever is wrong with this chapter in the morning. I apologize for any errors.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami thinks Aomine's confusing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took long, don't even want to talk about how many times I rewrote it. 
> 
> I'll fix any errors on another date.

He's not in the Zone, though he's somewhere on the edges of it. If he had to describe it, it's a little like being on the brink of an out of body experience – like his consciousness is slowly separating from his physical body. He knows he's moving but he's not sure how. Instinct's taking over, overpowering everything else. If he's sweating more than usual he doesn't know. Probably a bad thing, he could get scolded later, but he's not thinking about that right now. There's only the ball, and him, and the net. Everything else is starting to become a blur.

There's isn't any reason for him to try to enter it, they're winning by thirty points and there's only ten minutes left in the third quarter. But a part of Kagami yearns for the sensation of being at a hundred percent. He's not quite there yet, it's as if the door's been barricaded and even though he's throwing his whole body at it, he just rattles the hinges and no more than that. He wonders what he could be doing wrong.

“Stop thinking about it.” Aomine's voice cuts into his concentration before he feels the other player bump into him from behind.

“Why aren't you marking number four?” Kagami growls.

“Cause he's given up.” Aomine yawns “Anyway this game is in the bag, why the hell are you trying to get into the Zone?”

“How would you know that's what I'm trying to do? And it's an asshole move not to take your opponent seriously.”

“The one who's given up is the one not taking this game seriously.” Aomine clicks his tongue “And I know that you're trying to get in the Zone because you've got that constipated look on your face.”

“Whatever.” Kagami pushes him away “Don't talk to me right now, some of us are playing seriously.”

“Boring.” Aomine huffs, posture slack.

Kagami wants to scream at him to go guard number four again but he'd rather just focus on his own mark. He intends to give it his all. Aomine's right though, as much as he hates admitting it, the other team has given up. They're just giving this game bare minimum effort, some of them even less than that. It's frustrating.

Wakamatsu shouts his name, and Kagami reacts immediately, holding his hands out to receive the pass. Ever since the start of the game he's been passing almost exclusively to Kagami. He suspects that this is mostly because Wakamatsu's overjoyed that he doesn't need to pass to Aomine all the time anymore. Whatever the case, Kagami was definitely not complaining.

Just as his hands get a hold of the ball, he feels it getting pushed out of his grasp. He doesn't even have time to look at the hand that invaded his space to do it, Kagami immediately steps forward to take it again. But then a familiar figure dressed in what is _**definitely**_ Touou's uniform scoops the ball up before he reaches it, and in the same movement, accelerates forward towards their goal.

“Aomine, what the _**F –**_ ” the sound of coach frantically shouting “time out!” and the referee's subsequent whistle blowing interrupts his outburst. It doesn't seem to have stopped Wakamatsu's enraged screaming though.

“Aomine-kun why did you do that!” Momoi screams as they approach the bench. Beside her Coach is rubbing his forehead like he has a headache, Kagami can relate.

“I can't fucking believe this.” he growls, kicking the back of Aomine's legs “The hell d'you think you're doing asshole!?”

Aomine stumbles, it's incredibly gratifying.

“I have no idea what you're saying Taiga.” he replies, glaring.

“What!?”

“Kagami-kun,” Sakurai taps his arm “you're shouting in English.”

“I–” Kagami takes a deep breath “Shit.” he points at Aomine “You're an asshole. Do you understand me now?”

“How can you think in English, and still be failing in English.”

“My grades have nothing to do with this! Stop trying to change the subject!” Kagami growls “And I know for a _**fact**_ that _**you're**_ failing Japanese you bastard.”

“Now now,” Imayoshi comes between them raising his hands in a placating gesture “I'm sure Aomine has an explanation.”

“Captain!” Wakamatsu shouts indignantly. “What could he _**possibly**_ –”

“I said an explanation Wakamatsu, not a _**good**_ explanation.” he turns to Aomine “Well?”

“Taiga was spacing out cause he's being an idiot, it seemed like the thing to do.” Aomine shrugs “It's not like it's against the rules.”

“ _ **I'm**_ the idiot!?” Kagami shouts, just as Wakamatsu and Momoi shriek “ _ **It seemed like the thing to do!?**_ _”_

“Stop.” Coach holds up a hand, the other is still massaging his forehead. “Aomine-kun, I know that you want to compete with Kagami-kun but this is just–” he sighs “Don't do it again.”

“If you say so.” Aomine says, in a tone that is distressingly neutral.

“ _This bastard,”_ Kagami thinks _“he knows we can't keep him out of every game so he'll probably do it again.”_

From the looks on everyone's faces, they definitely aren't buying Aomine's words either.

“You know we won't win against the rest of your old teammates if we don't work together right?” says Kagami.

“ _ **I**_ will win, I don't know about you though.”

“Why you –”

“ _ **Let's**_ just file back onto court shall we?” Imayoshi pushes them both forward.

“Pass the ball to me alright?” says Aomine, addressing them all.

“You don't deserve to be selfish after that you bastard!” Kagami shouts “Pass it to _**me**_!”

“Don't worry Kagami,” says Wakamatsu “We're _**definitely**_ not passing to _**that**_ _,_ right Sakurai?”

“I'm sorry!” says Sakurai, which Kagami can tell is really just code for _“Please don't drag me into this.”_

Aomine's eyes narrow “What are you implying?”

Wakamatsu crosses his arms “I meant what I said.”

“ _ **Children,**_ _”_ says Imayoshi “it's time for basketball, not bickering.”

Kagami has the feeling that their captain is secretly enjoying this.

Aomine behaves himself for the rest of the game, relatively speaking. He doesn't do anything completely insane at least, which is enough. Kagami is embarrassed to admit that they both spent all of the fourth quarter shouting “Pass it to _**me**_!”, but he'll be damned if he'd let Aomine get what he wants after a stunt like that.

“You'll all be hated if you keep doing this. It just looks like you aren't taking the other team seriously.” Momoi tells in him once they're at their locker room “I thought you would be mature enough to aim for teamwork Kagami-kun.”

“What, and just let Aomine do what he wants? There's a limit to what we should let him get away with.”

“I'm not disagreeing with you but there was a lot of 'me, me, me!' out there and honestly it's disrupting the team's tempo, if we were against a stronger team...”

“You're right,” Kagami sighs “Sorry. I was going on about Aomine being an asshole but I guess I was kind of an ass to our opponents too for going on like that in the last quarter. Honestly didn't realize what I was doing at the time.”

“Well you get easily carried away with Aomine-kun around.”

“I do _**not**_.”

“Denying it doesn't make it any less true Kagami-kun.” Kagami squawks “But please, try to do something about it. We've got two more games to win before the semi-finals, you think you can improve your teamwork by then?”

“Well, it's all up to Aomine.” he grunts “Why are you talking to _**me**_ anyway? Shouldn't you talk to Imayoshi-senpai? If this is a teamwork issue I mean.”

“We both know that you two are becoming the central pillars of this team, if you worked together everything would fall into place, the team would be... well, invincible.”

Kagami grunts “No such thing as an invincible team.”

“You know what I mean, just try to be the bigger person next time and leave the sermons to the rest of us alright?”

“I don't need to _**try**_.”

Momoi giggles “Well that's true. You're getting better at insulting him by the way.”

“I don't need to try at that either.” Kagami snorts. “He's probably gonna crash at my house again so I'll talk to him, don't worry.”

“Thank you.” Momoi nods “Wait,” her eyes widen “ _ **again**_? Is there something you're not telling me Kagami-kun?”

“Uh,” he turns away from her “no?”

Momoi narrows her eyes, but before she can say something Aomine butts in to say “How long are you two going to talk?”

“Right,” says Kagami, lifting his bag by it's strap “let's get to the bus.”

He moves to get up, but is stopped by Momoi's firm grip. She squeezes his arm and gives him a stern look. “Text me about it later.” she says.

Kagami sighs, but gives her a little nod.

Satisfied, Momoi let's him go.

The ride back to Touou is torture because he's not only forced to sit next to Aomine, but he's also forced to sit across Wakamatsu. Neither of them would shut up at all, and Captain Imayoshi – that bastard – just laughed about it all the way to their school.

Sometimes Kagami hates this team.

“Hey,” Aomine says as they step down the bus “I'm staying over at your house today, told my mom about it already.”

“Are you just never going to ask me in advance? What if it wasn't a good time for me?”

“Please,” Aomine snorts “there's nothing going on in your life aside from basketball.”

“Shut up!” Kagami snarls “That's not true!”

“Sure, that's why you've got nothing but basketball magazines at your house. And that one fashion magazine but I'm not sure you're the one who bought that.”

“Who the hell else would buy it? And I don't want to hear this crap form a guy who practically breathes basketball.”

Aomine waves a hand “I've got other hobbies.”

“Like _**what**_?”

“Boobs.”

“I–” Kagami splutters “I can't believe you can say that with a straight face.”

“You're the only guy I know who couldn't say it with a straight face.”

“I'm pretty sure I'm not. Not everyone is a perverted idiot like you.”

“I'm not the one who's failing English.” Aomine smirks.

Kagami glares “Why the hell do you keep bringing that up!? Maybe I shouldn't let you come over anymore.”

Someone clears their throat, Kagami turns to find Imayoshi grinning at them “This is really starting to sound like a lovers' spat so maybe you two could stop blocking the way and take this somewhere private?”

“Kagami don't date this guy.” Wakamatsu adds “Do you seriously want to be stuck with him for the rest of your life?”

“I think that's marriage Wakamatsu-kun.” says Momoi, who's visibly suppressing the urge to giggle.

“Maybe that would improve their teamwork.” Imayoshi remarks idly.

Kagami doesn't want to think about how red he must be right now “As if I – Shut up!” he adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder, an unnecessary action, which he was sure showed how uncomfortable he was. He had to get out of here before his body language revealed any more than he wanted it to “I'm going home!”

If his teammates say anything more after that, Kagami doesn't hear it. The sound of his heartbeat was loud in his own ears and the heat spreading throughout his body made it hard to concentrate. The pace of his steps are brisk, fraught with the obvious intent to get the hell away from everyone and quick.

He didn't immediately notice Aomine trailing behind him, but he was a presence that was hard to miss and even harder to ignore. He's obnoxious, loud, and all all around asshat, honestly, Kagami has no idea what he even sees in –

He shakes his head. That was... getting dangerous. He didn't want to go there, or maybe it was more accurate to say he wasn't ready to go there. Not yet.

Kagami can hear Aomine jog up to him. He tries not to watch as he matches his pace. Neither of them are saying anything. He's pretty sure Aomine's thinking about something. He's not sure he wants to know.

“Hey,” Aomine bumps shoulders with him “what's for dinner?”

“Whatever's in my fridge I guess.” he replies with a shrug.

Aomine's doesn't say anything for a moment, “Wanna just go grab some burgers?” he asks, voice unsure, cautious.

It's the first time Kagami's ever heard him sound like that. Slowly, he turns to look at him “Are you paying?”

“For my own burger yeah.”

He's not meeting Kagami's eyes, but it doesn't seem like he's joking.

“Alright,” Kagami says slowly “but I'm really not paying for your ok?”

Aomine rolls his eyes “I already said I'd pay for my own food. Now come on," he hauls Kagami by the arm "if we're getting burgers then we're going the wrong way.”

Kagami allows himself to be dragged forward. Aomine's grip isn't painful anyway, and it's pleasant to see him take initiative in something that isn't annoying for once. Of course, it would be good if he could channel this into basketball, but he'll take what he can for now. 

Aomine's quiet, it would be alarming if weren't also being pushy, but as it was, it just felt nice. Different, but nice.

“ _But j_ _ust what is he thinking about?”_ Kagami wonders.

When they get to Maji Burger Aomine pushes him down onto a seat in the first empty table they see. Kagami makes a noise of protest, but Aomine just pats his shoulder and walks towards the counter. Weird.

Taking only his wallet and his phone (leaving his bag to save their seat), Kagami lines up behind Aomine to order his own food. He overhears Aomine ordering three Teriyaki burgers, two colas, and ten cheeseburgers. He's never known him to eat this much.

“ _This is just getting weirder and weirder.”_ he thinks.

The cashier gives Aomine a look before taking his money and giving him a number. Aomine grabs the number without taking the tray and then grabs Kagami's arm for the second time that night.

"Hey!" Kagami shouts "What the hell I was going to order something!"

"I did it for you." says Aomine. He pushes Kagami into his seat then plops down across him.

“You said you'd only be paying for your own food.”

Aomine shrugs “I said I'd be paying for my own burger, never said anything about _**not**_ paying for yours.”

That didn't even make any sense. “Did you do something?”

“Why would you think that?” Aomine raises an eyebrow “My mom found out about you so she gave me some money.”

“What do you _**mean**_ she found out about me?” Kagami screeches, several heads turn to look at them, annoyed. He lowers his voice “What's there to find out about? What did you tell her?”

“Geez, don't get agitated,” Aomine huffs “I just said that you've been cooking lunch for me, and she said I should treat you to something.”

“Oh,” Kagami leans back “well... tell her I said thank you.”

“You're welcome.”

“I'm saying thank you to _**her**_ not you.”

“Was _**she**_ the one who bought you those burgers?”

“It was her money!”

“So I guess I should be calling _**your**_ parents then cause I'm pretty sure you used their money too.”

“Well why don't you!” Kagami slams his hand on the table “Let's call them on skype at my house, you better thank them on your knees you bastard.”

Aomine glares “As long as you thank my mom on _**your**_ knees.”

“Sure,” Kagami huffs “And while I'm at it I'll tell her she's an angel for putting up with a son like you.”

“Uhm, excuse me sirs,” they both turn towards the waiter who flinches at their glares “uh, your... your burgers?”

“Thanks.” Kagami says, a bit guiltily. The waiter sets down their trays carefully so as not to spill their drinks then scurries away as fast as he can.

Kagami sighs “Let's stop this, we're scaring people.”

Aomine shrugs “Fine by me.” he says, before biting into one of his burgers “What were you talking to Satsuki about by the way?”

“Ugh,” Kagami turns away and scratches his neck “didn't I say we should stop this?”

“You did, and we are.” Aomine's glares at him “Why? Did you say anything that we should be fighting about?”

“No, but...” he growls, frustrated “Momoi wants us to improve our teamwork.”

“Is that all? Doesn't Satsuki always want that?”

“Yeah, but for real this time.”

“It's always for real.” Aomine raises an eyebrow “You telling me we should start listening to her now?”

“I'm _**always**_ telling you to listen to her.”

A pause “That's true.”

“And I kinda agree with her on this,” Kagami bangs his fist on the table “I mean at least stop being an asshole. That's a good start. But you'll need to work with us eventually, it can't always turn out as conveniently as the match against Yosen did.”

Aomine clicks his tongue “What are you trying to say?”

This time Kagami slams both his fists on the table, hard enough to rattle it “Don't play dumb with me!”

“Stop that,” Aomine grabs his wrist “it's noisy. You'll spill something.”

“Give me a straight answer then, I know you know we need to work together.”

He looks straight into Aomine's eyes, trying to look as determined as he can so that he knows he's serious. So he'd be _**taken**_ seriously. Aomine stares right back, searchingly, as if suspecting another meaning to his words.

Finally, Aomine sighs. “I'll think about it.” he says.

There isn't any indication of how serious he is. For all Kagami knows he's just saying it to placate him. But it's also not a no, so he'll take it.

“Good.” he leans back, eyes flitting towards their table. Aomine's still holding his wrist. “Uh...”

Aomine looks down, and his gaze lingers for a moment before he slowly lifts his hand and clears his throat.

“Your burgers are gonna get cold.” he says.

“Oh,” says Kagami “oh right. Sorry.”

Aomine looks away then, to stare at who knows what, munching slowly on his burger. His free hand is on the table, right across Kagami's, mere inches away. Kagami can see it twitching every now and then, as if Aomine wanted to reach out for something but held himself back from doing so. The first twitch he'd written off as his imagination, but the next ones were decidedly real.

It shouldn't be making his heart beat faster, it shouldn't.

Kagami studies his face, the stiff angle of his jaw and the distant look in his eyes. It's worrying how hard he is to read like this. It feels like Kagami's back at the nurse's office, that first time Momoi had asked him to fetch Aomine, facing a wild animal with little to no clue on what makes him tick.

He balls his free hand into a fist and stares at his half bitten burger. He doesn't realize he's frowning until Aomine asks “Is there something wrong with it?”

“Huh? You mean the burger?”

“Course I mean the burger,” Aomine spreads the fingers on the table, leans forward “you're looking at it like it's poison.”

“I'm– It's _**not–**_ I just–” he waves a hand, hopes it doesn't look self-conscious “I don't know, look let's just eat alright?” then he takes a big bite of his burger to make a point (just what 'point' that is, he doesn't know, honestly he's got no clue what he's doing).

“Alright?” Aomine replies, like a question.

“Don't worry about.” Kagami mutters.

Aomine breaths out through his nose “Sure.” he says, patting the hand Kagami has on the table once with his own.

It lingers there, but Kagami's probably just imagining things. Like the flush of his skin. Like the lump in his throat.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I GOT SO MANY GREAT COMMENTS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'm terrible at replying, I usually don't because I have no idea what to say, but THANK YOU, REALLY, YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST.
> 
> It took so long to write this chapter, it's hard to get a balance between building up what I'm planning to happen during the Winter Cup finals and the impending romantic relationship. Aaaah, how do you even write romance. 
> 
> Anyway, I'll be answering some questions I got after the last chapter here: 
> 
> > Why is Aomine so giddy? -- It's partly the fact that he exerted himself more than he ever has in his life and partly because he and Kagami are finally talking again and though he may not admit it, he missed this.
> 
> > On the line “You know that's not a deal breaker.” –- Alex doesn't mean that it's alright for Aomine to stare at girls' boobs (it's not alright, which is why Kagami hits him), Alex means that even if Aomine loves breasts and shows enthusiastic interest in women, that doesn't mean he isn't into guys too (i.e. he could easily be bisexual). Now that I'm thinking about it, although that's how Aomine would react (to Alex in a tank top) in canon, it was still my choice to put that in there. I'm sorry. I'll try to avoid having him ogle at ladies from now on. 
> 
> > Why is Kagami not calling Aomine by first name? –- Kagami did it once in the heat of the moment (and with Aomine's urging) but at the end of the day he still doesn't feel comfortable doing it. Aomine hasn't brought it up since so he'd just rather stick to his last name. But don't worry guys I haven't forgotten about that exchange, it has slipped Aomine's mind though (for now). It'll come up later haha, along with a few other things. 
> 
> > Is Aomine seducing Kagami? -- No lol, he legitimately just wanted to know better hiding places for his gravure and was just really shocked to find out that Kagami didn't have any magazines that could be considered as that. Aomine openly talks about boobs and gravure idols he's into so it just seemed like he'd be the sort to ask invasive questions without realizing what it could imply. Of course now that the topic's been brought up who's to say what it'll lead to later haha. 
> 
> > Are they flirting? -- Not consciously, but yes.
> 
>  
> 
> On the next update: I don't know when it's going to happen, I'm sorry, for some reason I'm having a difficult time writing new chapters now.
> 
> [EDIT: Ok lol some parts happen a liiitle bit differently now, I hated how I wrote them so I rewrote them again this is why it takes so long to write every chapter I'm just never satisfied with what I write lol]


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami and Aomine have FEELINGS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reread this only once, will edit more when I'm free again.

The past few months have made it abundantly clear that Aomine enjoys touching people when he's in a good mood (1) but, Kagami is finding out, he also apparently _**complains**_ a lot more when he's in a good mood. Momoi says that it's a “cry for attention from people he likes” and that he “forgot how to express his feelings properly”. Kagami's not disagreeing with any of that but all he really knows is that a happy Aomine is less of an asshole than usual but ten times more annoying.

Of course, he's really the only one who's getting the brunt of it. A fact which is unlikely to change anytime soon especially considering how noone is doing anything about it.

“Dinner again later?” Aomine asks, while they're crouched down in a half-split during warm ups. Only, it doesn't really sound like a question so much as a statement, an _**assumption**_ _._

Kagami replies with a grunt. Aomine could take it whichever way he wanted (though there wasn't any doubt that he'd take it as a yes).

“Great,” Aomine nods, taking it as expected “your house then?”

“What,” Kagami raises an eyebrow “are you just never going to sleep at your own house then?”

“I've only been to your house twice this week.”

Kagami sighs “Twice too many.”

“If you've got something to say, say it to my face.” Aomine snaps.

“What was I doing just now?” Kagami huffs “The expression 'talking behind your back' isn't literal you know, it doesn't mean –”

“I'm not a goddamn idiot.” Aomine growls “Of course I know what it means.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“I'm surprised that _**you**_ know what it means, with you being who you are.”

“If you're calling me an idiot,” Kagami stands up to glare down at him “you better not be.” (2)

Aomine snorts, doesn't face him “Or _ **what**_? What are you gonna do about it Taiga?”

“I'm gonna fucking step on your back right now that's what I'm gonna fucking do about it.”

“Kagami-kun!” he hears Momoi shout from across the gym.

Kagami didn't even realize they'd gotten that loud. He turns to look at her, glare still in place, and sees her make a shushing gesture. He raises a hand in acknowledgment, before nudging Aomine's ass with his foot, not too hard but enough to put him off balance.

Aomine falls over.

“What the _**fuck.**_ ”

Sometimes it felt like there was another person inside him who came out just to fight with Aomine. He doesn't hate that side of him really, someone needs to tell the asshole off after all, but there are moments where he wishes he wouldn't bother.

Especially when it involved hours of borderline screaming (or actual screaming) at each other.

He shouldn't have to spend so much energy interacting with Aomine. Especially not when they're in the middle of the Winter Cup. Strangely (or maybe not so strangely because Touou has always been a weird place to Kagami), he seems to be the only one who's concerned. Momoi and Imayoshi pretend to be exasperated but Kagami can tell they're happy about it – God knows why.

Wakamatsu seems to find their squabbles gratifying too – he's probably under the impression that Kagami's always winning, though he's not sure how. Sakurai, on the other hand, seems to be under the impression that they're getting along, and nearly everyone else on the team either shares his opinion or just think they're all better off if Aomine's otherwise occupied.

Maybe they are, but Kagami can't say he's completely comfortable with it.

There's the feeling at the pit of his stomach that he's trying to ignore – something scratching at the back of his mind desperate to get noticed. All of this with Aomine, _ **all of it**_ – the dinners, sleepovers, even the bickering – just made it worse. Now it felt like something was about to claw its way out of his chest whether or not he's ready for it.

Momoi gives them a knowing look when they head to the station together after practice. He's probably going to get some sort of talk from her soon, and he really doesn't want to hear it.

“What's for dinner?” Aomine asks, idly fiddling with Kagami's blazer sleeve – so close to his wrist, but never touching it.

Kagami stares at his fingers, twitching a little when one of them finally brushes against his own skin.

He doesn't move away.

“We'll figure it out when we get there.” he says, hoping it doesn’t sound as self-conscious as he feels.

Aomine grunts and lets go of Kagami's blazer, slumping against his side. He rests his head on Kagami’s shoulder and says, “Wake me up when we get to our stop.”

“That's in five minutes,” Kagami frowns, nudging him with his elbow “don't sleep.”

Aomine snores exaggeratedly. Kagami rolls his eyes.

He clicks his tongue and says “I’m leaving you here if you don’t wake up.”

He’s lying, but Aomine’s reaction is immediate. He sits up straight and says “Fine, I’ll nap at your house then.”

“Don’t take a nap, do you wanna be up all night? And you better take a shower before you sit on anything other than the floor.”

“Yeah whatever.” Aomine scoffs.

Kagami knocks their knees together “I mean it asshole.”

“I said _**yeah**_ , geez. You’re worse than my mom.”

“Who spoils you too much, and is probably a saint.”

“Well you’re wrong, but she’ll probably like you.” he exhales loudly through his nose “Speaking of, want to come over this Saturday? After the game?"

Kagami gives him a sideways look, studying his face. Aomine’s frowning at his lap. He doesn’t look like he’s joking. “To your house?”

“Yeah where else? Mom might watch the game then drive us home.” **

“Oh that’s,” he swallows “ok sure.”

He wants to make a quip but the words seem to be dying in his mouth. “ _Why now?”_ he wonders. It’s strange that Aomine’s mother would go to watch the game for one, Momoi mentioned Aomine having been against the idea since middle school. It’s even stranger to think that this might be Aomine’s way of saying thank you.

They don’t say anything more until they get to their stop, nor do they say anything on the way to Kagami’s apartment. Aomine looks completely comfortable with the silence, but Kagami feels overly conscious of his own body. He knows he’s being obvious about it too, but either Aomine can’t tell or he’s choosing to ignore it.

His apartment smells like pizza when they arrive and Alex greets them with five family sized boxes.

“For the recent victories,” Alex says, tipping her beer can towards them “and also because I really wanted pizza.”

“Thanks for remembering us I guess.” Kagami grunts “Wash your hands first Aomine, and sit on the floor.”

Aomine rolls his eyes and Kagami hears Alex snort. He can’t decide who to glare at so he goes to get plates instead. He hands Aomine one after he shows him wet and presumably clean hands. He washes his own hands before going back to the living room to sit with them around the coffee table. Aomine has already helped himself to what looks like a four cheese pizza.

“Did you get pepperoni?” Kagami plops down, leaving enough space for another person between himself and Aomine.

“Of course I did,” says Alex “got a meat lovers one too.”

“Nice.” Kagami takes two slices from the already opened four cheese pizza box.

“Are you eating them like a sandwich?” Aomine asks in disbelief.

“It’s faster.” Kagami replies, but since his mouth is full it just comes out as an unintelligible sound.

Aomine makes a disgusted sound.

Alex snorts “So am I going see any monster high schoolers in tomorrow’s game?”

“Monster high schoolers?”

“She means your Teikou teammates.” he turns to Alex “None tomorrow, but if we win this one we’ll be in the semi-finals, so we’ll probably face Kaijou again.”

Alex hums thoughtfully “What’s the boy in Kaijou like then?”

“We can take him.” Aomine says, full of confidence.

“Maybe.” Kagami allows, he reaches for his bag and grabs Momoi’s data, hands it to Alex “We’ve beaten his team before but according to Momoi’s research he’s going to be a completely different person this time.”

Alex flips scans the pages, flipping through them in a leisurely pace “This is amazingly comprehensive,” she says, sounding genuinely impressed “you have to hand it to Satsuki-chan.” then, turning to Kagami she asks “So she thinks this Kise will be able to copy all of his former teammates this time?”

“It’s not going to happen.” Aomine says firmly.

“You don’t know that, you saw him last time, he was close.”

Aomine stares at him for a moment, expression unreadable “Say he did manage to do it, so what?”

Kagami frowns “What do you mean so what?”

Alex laughs “I think I see where you’re going with this, I’d call it arrogance if I didn’t think you were right.” she turns to Kagami “In fact if you read this thing all the way to the end Taiga you’d see that Satsuki-chan agrees with Dai-chan over here.”

“ _ **Dai-chan**_?”

“She’s been hanging out with Momoi,” Kagami explains “but anyway, what do you mean?”

“I mean, while it’s amazing what this Kise can do, because of physical limitations, it’s not going to work on you two the way he wants it to.”

“Physical limitations?”

“He’s injured,” Aomine grinds out “idiots been overexerting himself and that bastard Haizaki stepped on his foot.”

What surprises Kagami the most is Aomine’s visibly apparent rage. Maybe deep inside he still cared about his old friends, aloof as he might want to come off.

“I should have punched him while I had the chance.” Aomine growls “He tried to beat them up after the match too.”

“Fuck,” Kagami leans towards him “what happened?”

“Tetsu’s coach apparently talked to security after seeing him by Kaijou’s exit. Bastard’s probably gonna get suspended.”

“Geez,” Kagami slumps “what an asshole. That means Kise’s injured then?”

Aomine nods, taking another bite of his pizza.

“That’s unfortunate,” Alex says “but that actually wasn’t the physical limitation I was talking about.” she takes a swig of her beer “I mean, if this boy’s anything like you two, he’ll keep playing despite his injury. His real problem is that injury or not, all he can do is make it _**seem**_ like he’s the original. If this data’s right then he’s damn good at what he does and a great player but…”

“It just wouldn’t be the same.” Kagami finishes.

“Exactly,” Alex smirks “Dai-chan over her for example,” Aomine frowns “Kise can copy his movements well, and he can make it seem like he’s as fast as him by making some adjustments to his starting speed, but it’s still very different when you’re copying someone else’s style and when a style’s naturally ingrained in you from prolonged use.” she points at Kagami “Then there’s you.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re not only natural enemy of shooting guards, so that’s it for the half court shots he can copy, and you’ve already shown you can hold your own against Yosen’s center. It says he hasn’t perfected the others, and as for the moves he got from this guy over here,” she gestures towards Aomine “there’s one of him, and two of you.”

“Basically we’re going to kick his ass,” Aomine grunts “can we eat now? I’m tired of hearing about basketball.”

Alex raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah he doesn’t even watch any pro-basketball.” says Kagami.

“That explains so much.” says Alex “I’m surprised Satsuki-chan never mentioned it to me.”

Kagami shudders “How much have you two been talking? Should I be worried?”

“Whatever for, Taiga?”

“My sanity?”

“I’m going to eat this all if you two are just gonna keep yapping.” Aomine interrupts.

“Oh you got a stomach like that too huh?” Alex leers at Kagami “Taiga this boy’s made for you.”

Kagami turns red “Shut the hell up, no he isn’t.” he says quickly, giving Alex a warning look. She backs down, but she doesn’t stop leering at him.

Aomine manages to eat one entire pizza on his own while Alex finishes one half of another. Kagami manages to eat three pizzas (much to Aomine’s awe and disgust) and puts the leftovers in the refrigerator.

He puts a futon out when Aomine showers in the feeble hope that he’d use it, only to find him curled on his bed after coming back from his own shower. He hesitates for a moment before climbing into bed with him, but his determination not to let Aomine get the better of him in any way wins over any possible resulting embarrassment from their sleeping arrangement.

It doesn’t take more than five minutes for him to realize he’s made a mistake.

Aomine has his back to the window, left arm tucked under his head. His breath is warm against the back of Kagami’s neck and his snores are loud in his ears. He can feel the knuckles of his right hand brushing against his back, his toes brushing against the soles of his feet.

The bed is too small. Much too small. And he can’t take it.

Slowly, Kagami rolls out of bed, maneuvering himself into a crouch on the floor. He sits on his heels for a moment, just looking at Aomine, frowning. He finds his sleeping face completely insufferable in ways he both understands and doesn’t - in ways he would rather not think about.

He feels suddenly, a strong urge to touch. To know what the calluses on his fingers are like and how rough the faint stubble on his chin is. The feeling isn’t entirely unwelcome, and it’s terrifying. It’s terrifying how he wants this, how he knows he wants this, how he wants to do something about it, how he almost doesn’t care about the consequences.  

He shakes his head and lays down on the futon. It really isn’t the time, he tells himself, to be thinking about these sort of things. He doesn’t want to call these feelings unnecessary -- overwhelming and confusing and so very real that he almost can’t handle it, but not unnecesary.

Still, it wasn’t precisely _**necessary**_ either, and it was definitely distracting.

He’s always been a one track mind kind of guy and Aomine’s obviously the same way. They don’t need the distraction, not during the Winter Cup.

“ _I’m already distracted though”_ he thinks bitterly. Trying not to think about it was a distraction in itself.

He closes his eyes. Like mantra, he mentally repeats the word “focus”, until slowly, it lulls him to sleep.

  


 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Aomine wakes up to the smell of eggs.

He hears the soft sizzling sound of something frying and a woman’s cheerful laughter. There’s another voice, a male one, and though it’s unmistakably Taiga there’s something strange about it that Aomine can’t place. The sound of his voice is a bit lower and less gruff than what Aomine’s used to. Curious (and hungry), he climbs out of bed and heads out of the bedroom.

He doesn’t even need to step into the kitchen to figure out what was so strange. Alex and Taiga are talking in English, quite animatedly. Aomine recognizes a few words here and there but otherwise he’s completely lost. He forgets sometimes, that Taiga’s an American.

It’s silly considering how there’s a blonde woman living in his apartment, but it’s hard for him to imagine Taiga in a place he only knows from tv and movies. In a place he’s never been to. It’s weird to think that Taiga’s got this entirely different life that he doesn’t know about.

The voices from the kitchen have grown hushed. Aomine hesitates at the doorway because it sounds like they’re having a serious conversation. He doesn’t understand a word of it, but he does hear the name “Tatsuya”, so he can kind of guess what it’s about.

He waits till they’ve been silent for a few seconds before he waltzes in, yawning exaggeratedly.

“Where’s breakfast?” he asks, even though he can smell the bacon and pancakes. (3)

“Be patient and give me a minute.” Taiga snaps, without any real heat. “Just pour yourself some coffee or whatever it is you drink for breakfast.”

“Good morning Dai-chan.” Alex says in a singsong voice.

“Morning.” Aomine tries not to frown at the nickname “You’re up early.”

“Wouldn’t miss Taiga’s home cooked breakfast for the world.” she says “Coffee?”

“Nah, I’m just gonna have milk or water.”

Truthfully, this is a pretty early hour for Aomine too. He does wake up for morning practice more often these days but even then, it’s usually at an hour where there’s just enough time to roll out of bed, get dressed, and get to school. He just had breakfast at school by eating part of the bentou Kagami brings for him (or he’d grab whatever his mom leaves out for him in the dining room on days when she has the time to do things like that).

Taiga puts a stack of pancakes with bacon and eggs on the side in the space front of him and Alex, then returns for his own plate before sitting down.

“You haven’t taken off your apron.” Alex comments

“Leave it,” Taiga grunts “let’s just eat.”

Aomine wordlessly stuffs a strip of bacon into his mouth, snorting as he watches Taiga take big bites of his own food. He looks ridiculous as usual, and it doesn’t help that his hair looks flat for some reason. It takes a moment for him to realize that it’s because it’s wet.

He moves to grab a lock of it before he can stop himself.

Taiga stiffens.

“What are you doing?” he asks, voice tight.

Aomine lets go “Just got curious.” he says, rubbing his now moist fingers together “This isn’t sweat is it?”

Taiga’s nose scrunches “Of course not, I took another shower after my morning run.”

“Right.” Aomine says, feeling a strange lump in his throat. He rubs his palm onto his thigh. He sees Alex giving him a look he has no idea how to interpret. He does his best to ignore it.

She gives him the same look as they’re about to leave Taiga’s apartment, but Taiga notices it too and frowns at her until she raises her arms in a gesture of defeat. She cheerfully shouts “Enjoy your day!” at them as Taiga pushes him into the elevator.

When they get to practice he starts understanding Taiga’s apprehension about Alex and Satsuki interacting because the first thing his childhood friend says when she sees them is: “You’re early! Good job Kagami-kun!”

“I can wake up early for morning practice on my own.” he says indignantly.

Taiga and Satsuki take one look at each other before laughing harder than he remembers them ever laughing. Aomine wants to knock their heads together badly.

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Satsuki says, once she regains her composure. “If you had that ability, trust me, I’d be the first to know.”

“If I hadn’t cooked breakfast would you even be here right now?” Taiga adds “No nevermind I’d have kicked you out of bed.”

“You’d have tried you mean.” Aomine snorts “And I would have woken up without you.”

“How much are you willing to bet on that?”

"I am willing to bet my _**entire**_ month’s allowance on Aomine being incapable of waking up early.” Wakamatsu says, walking up to them, loud enough for everyone to hear “I bet he’ll miss at _**least**_ a week’s worth of practice this month.”

Aomine flips him off and Susa has to hold Wakamatsu back from attacking him. He turns to Taiga.

“How much are _**you**_ willing to bet on that?”

Taiga considers it for a moment “A Christmas feast.” he says “If you manage to come to morning practice everyday until the end of the Winter Cup, I’ll cook you the biggest and best goddamn meal you’ll ever eat.” (4)

“Tempting.” Aomine admits “But you’d have to do it for my entire family, Christmas _**and**_ New Years.”

“It just sounds like you want to introduce him to your family Dai-chan.” Satsuki says teasingly “I kind of want you to win now.”

“Satsuki, you’ve tasted his food, don’t tell me you haven’t considered marrying him.”

“Well no, but now that you mention it--”

“Oh my _**god**_ shut up, both of you.” Taiga grabs his wrist and starts dragging him towards where the rest of the team is about to start warm ups.

Aomine leans back to make himself seem heavier. Messing with Taiga was always satisfying. The frustrated look he throws his way makes him want to laugh. (5) It would have probably been easier to just let his wrist go but Taiga never liked to do things the easy way.

Taiga very loudly grunts as he stubbornly pulls him along, and Aomine’s shoes squeak as he’s dragged across the gym. The sound isn’t music to anyone’s ears, including Aomine’s, but somehow-- somehow he can’t help but smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) There is little basis for the characterization in canon I think, but somehow it felt right anyway. Well, we’re not completely sure what Aomine’s like around someone he has a crush on so let’s go with completely invasive hahaha.  
> (2) this is a Fantastic Mr. Fox reference yes  
> (3) I think that Kagami’s probably more used to a western/American breakfast  
> (4) Kagami really couldn’t wager his allowance seeing as he was already spending money on Aomine on a regular basis anyway, so the stakes had to be something more “special” lol  
> (5) Normally I like to let my readers interpret what the characters are feeling but I just want to clarify that Aomine doesn’t laugh here because he finds it funny, let’s just leave it at that
> 
> ** [EDIT: 10/14/15] I wanted to clarify what I meant by this sentence for everyone's benefit since I got (and answered) a question about it. What Aomine is saying here is that his mother is going to take them to his (Aomine's and his family's) home/house. He's not saying his mother will take them to Kagami's house, I'm sorry if that was confusing. It's possible this sentence is too much of a direct translation from my native language so the sentence, while acceptable in my country, might be strange to others. I will try to watch out for those, and minimize them or explain them when I don't know what would be the correct turn of phrase acceptable everywhere.
> 
> \-------
> 
> I’ve come to find out that the scene I wrote where Aomine looks for Kagami’s porn in his apartment is a lot like a scene in the 3DS game. I wrote that before I saw translations for the 3DS game. It’s amusing to see that I have a similar characterization for Aomine as someone writing something… “official”, hahaha.
> 
> I considered, when I first started writing this, to have an entire arc about them freaking out about their sexualities, but then I didn’t want this to get too real and I realized that an arc like that probably wouldn’t put me in the mood for writing. So, at this point, I’m just writing what I want to, within limits of the “plot” and characterization I’ve established so far haha. Anyway.
> 
> I need to apologize to you all because updates will be very slow, law school is more demanding this year than last year. I will finish this fic, I promise you, but I could go months without updating (just as I did before this chapter). I work on this fic regularly (this chapter for example, I wrote little by little throughout the semester), but as I’ve said, school is so demanding that it’s a slow process.
> 
> Thank you as always for all the comments, they keep me going.


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The semi-final against Kaijou. A surge of emotions. Teenagers unintentionally psychoanalyzing each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few things I wanted to make clear because I get a lot of messages about this: I will not abandon this fic, I have a lot going on these days so the updates will have months in between them but I WILL finish this. I've been saying this in my end notes but for those who've been skipping it I wanted to put this here in the beginning so that I can be very clear on this.
> 
> As per usual, I only reread this once, so it probably still has errors which I'll correct at a later date.

Basketball isn't a thinking sport, or at least it's never been one to Aomine. He knows Satsuki sees it as one and she's mentioned once or twice that he should be glad his team captains have been people like Akashi and Imayoshi (something about how they thought up good plays while taking into account that Aomine would do whatever he wanted, instead of forcing Aomine to stick to a fixed plan), but he's been playing long enough to know that you don't really think during a game the way you think during exams. It's different. Coaches can afford to think about theory and predictions or whatever but when you're there on the court all you're thinking about is two seconds after. Your body though, that's different too. Most days it's like it has a mind of its own.

Aomine isn't an idiot, he knows what's true for him is definitely not true for everyone. Even in Teikou there was never a chance to give advice from personal experience, their skill sets were too different. Maybe he could have given Kise advice like that, but Kise never asked. He seemed bent on figuring it out on his own, and Aomine let him. With Taiga it's different because he's an idiot. Satsuki would say he has no right to call anyone an idiot and Taiga's not an idiot in every sense of the word really, but when it comes to how to improve himself in basketball, he mostly is. The only thing that makes him realize anything on that front is metaphorical slap to the face.

“Look you can't think about it,” trying to be patient was admittedly new for Aomine, and trying to explain how to get into the Zone to someone was a real novelty “if you think about it, it's not going to happen. It's not something you can just will into happening, if people could do that then anyone could get into the Zone.”

“Well that's as far as _**you**_ know at least.” Taiga grumbles, he's probably just saying it to be contrary (Aomine really understands _**that**_ urge) but it's annoying how he has a point.

“Which is more than what _**you**_ know,” he replies “more than what Coach and Satsuki and any high school student in this country knows about the Zone but you know, _**no big deal**_.”

“I'm glad you two are having a productive conversation instead of your usual thing.” Satsuki quips, throwing an amused look their way from the seat across them “The bus is quiet enough that people have been able to take naps, keep it up Kagami-kun.”

It's a new ploy to annoy him, he knows, to attribute any show of good behavior from him to Taiga. It's not in Satsuki's nature to tease him this much so he knows she's up to something underneath it, or maybe she's been hanging out with Taiga's mentor too much. Taiga seems to think so.

He feels the need to defend himself anyway. “I'm perfectly quiet when _**he's**_ not around.”

“And you're also perfectly _**absent**_ when he's not around,” she says “but please, continue with your talk.” she says it without any sarcasm or mocking, so he knows she's honestly interested in what he has to say.

He huffs before turning back to Taiga “Anyway don't force it. Just play hard, it'll come naturally. We have no idea what –” he furrows his eyebrows “– _**triggered**_ you to enter the Zone, you'd know that best probably.”

Taiga looks thoughtful for a moment, not looking at him he asks “What's your trigger?”

Aomine pauses for a moment, because he isn't sure if there are words for it. Entering the Zone feels like two things simultaneously, like falling and like something bursting open. He's always there before he knows it, and he understands certain things about the concept of it, which is probably why he can get there when he wants to most of the time but... he never really thinks about what gets him form point A to point B. It's... what did Alex call it? Instinct.

“It's probably something like competitiveness.” he says finally “But not really, I don't think about it when I'm playing, it's instinct. If you have what it takes to get there, you get there.”

Taiga looks thoughtful again.

“Look,” says Aomine “I know you want to be at a hundred percent because of Kise, but you won't be if you keep thinking about this.”

“Right.” Taiga says, but he seems like he's only half-listening.

He's about to tell him to snap out of it when the bus stops. As they get off, he sees the determination on Taiga's face and he thinks he maybe didn't need to say anything more after all.

“You give Kagamin too little credit.” Satsuki tells him, soft enough that only the two of them can hear it.

“The hell are you talking about.” he whispers back. “I give him plenty credit.”

“No you don't, you act like he has less emotional maturity than you, you completely unself-aware butt.”

“ _ **Excuse**_ me.”

“Kagami-kun rose above his problems while you're –” she gestures up and down the entire length of his body.

“What is that supposed to mean?” he grits out.

“That,” she says “that's exactly what I'm talking about you don't even know what your problem is. But I'm glad you're talking to him, Kagami-kun I mean.”

He doesn't want to hear more so he doesn't reply. Taiga's quiet in locker rooms but he looks focused so that's alright. Neither Coach nor Imayoshi-senpai have much to say before they head out, but he feels their eyes on him and Taiga so he knows they're expecting something like the Yosen match. Kaijou's already there when they get to the court and Kise's staring right at them. He's not waving like an idiot or smiling or even smirking or anything that is remotely like him. Instead he looks focused, and the look he gives them is assessing. He's changed. They stare each other down for a while, then Kaijou's captain claps Kise's shoulder and the moment is gone.

When he turns to their own bench he finds Taiga sitting, with his head down, eyes closed, hands clapped together and hanging between his legs.

“Nervous?” he asks, going for teasing.

“No.” Taiga replies firmly, interestingly not annoyed in the least “Just thinking.”

“Well now I'm worried.” Aomine says, but his heart's not in it. Taiga can probably tell since he doesn't reply, or maybe he didn't hear it, the way he's building up this intensity.

Kaijou's number ten is staring at them as they file onto court. Him and Taiga. Aomine gets the feeling that he was told not to do that (but that he couldn't help himself) from the way he panics once he realizes what he's doing. He wonders how Kaijou planned for this match, but, he thinks, it wouldn't matter what they threw at them.

At this point he's not even sure if Kise could get in the Zone or copy his style as well as Satsuki says he will, bastard could be surprising when he wanted to, that much Aomine's willing to admit. It'd have been a bit of a problem if Taiga weren't here, that he'll admit to. They would win either way but, and he would never say this out loud, with Taiga here he felt invincible. It's not the first time he's felt this way, but it's the first time he's felt it and _**liked**_ it. He's not sure why. Maybe it's because a tiny part of him believes that if Taiga weren't here he could lose. That he actually can't do it on his own. Maybe. He doesn't know for sure.

They position themselves next to their marks for the tip off, Kise's predictably on him, but it's a surprise that they choose Kaijou's number ten to mark Taiga.

“Just pass the ball to me Taiga.” He says, loud, teasing.

“Sh–” he presses his mouth into a thin line, obviously holding in a curse. Aomine grins. “You be quiet! Concentrate!” he finally shouts back.

“Yes mom.” he mutters under his breath with a snort, and he spots Kise giving him a strange look. “What?”

Kise shakes his head “Just realizing some things.”

It's his turn to put on a weird look, but before he could ask what the hell he meant a horn sounds signaling the start of the game.

Wakamatsu manages to grab the ball before Kaijou and passes it immediately to Aomine. The moment the ball touches his fingers, he's somewhere else.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

The problem with Dai-chan, Momoi thinks, is that he doesn't know how big of an idiot he is. And the thing is, she knows nobody is that self-aware, not really, but he doesn't even know when he doesn't know which is something that Kagami-kun is at least capable of. He also never committed to doing any sort of introspection whatsoever. And that was something Kagami's been doing a lot lately.

It might be unfair of her to compare them. Despite appearances they're really very different people. For one thing Kagami's an unexpectedly open person while Aomine, for all his lack of tact, never really talks about things properly especially when it matters. And that makes all the difference as far as self-awareness goes. She hopes things will change as long as they keep hanging out together. For a while there she'd thought Aomine'd managed to influence Kagami instead of the other way around as she'd hoped but lately she can see that Aomine's only great influence on Kagami is on court. Outside of it he remains himself, and it's Aomine who seems drawn to him.

Outside the court she can see a sparkle in Dai-chan's eye that she hasn't seen in what feels like a very long time. It's there every time he and Kagamin would bicker about something inane, and when Kagami gives him his lunch, and when he scolds him for his nasty habits or for picking on Sakurai, and lately it's there as long as Kagami is, dancing behind Aomine's faux annoyed expressions and teasing smirks. She's not sure if Dai-chan's aware of it, but knowing him he probably isn't.

Kagami's soft on Aomine outside the court too (and it's always amusing how much he mothers him) but inside it, it's like Aomine's the most amazing thing he's ever seen. It always looks like he wants to be annoyed that he feels this way but the awe wins out on his face every time. Today's no different.

They're winning by five points, Ki-chan's doing a good job of keeping the score close by going all out with his near perfect copy of Aomine-kun's style. But he's not pacing himself well, which will be good for them, because it means that he's either panicking, or he'll be subbed out soon so he's desperate to take the lead. She's worried about his injury as a friend, but he's also the enemy right now so she'll celebrate about what's good for her team. She's sure Ki-chan will understand.

Kagami-kun's been grabbing all the rebounds and throwing it to the far side of the court, to Aomine-kun usually, but sometimes to whoever else is free. Kaijou's Hayakawa-kun seems extremely frustrated that he's losing in the rebound battle but Kagami's been taking full advantage of his height and jumping power, and he keeps passing the ball way before he hits the ground. There's very little time to react (for everyone, even their own teammates, no wonder he's always passing to Aomine-kun). Watching it makes her giddy with all the other possibilities for Kagami and his potential to be even greater.

Ki-chan, to be fair, is a thrill to watch too. As he blocks one of Kagamin's shots with what everyone can clearly recognize is one of Mukkun's moves, Momoi wonders how things would have gone if Kagami-kun wasn't on this team and Aomine was facing an uninjured Kise completely alone. She'd mentioned it to Aomine the day before but he seemed convinced he would win anyway. Still she wonders, especially because Kagami's presence is no small thing on court. It's unintentionally commanding like Aomine's is, intimidating in it's intensity.

Momoi often hears some of the other members of Touou joke about Kagami being like a tiger but maybe there was some truth in that comparison. She'd be one of the first to call him a gentle giant, but on the court, Kagami was every bit a predator. Like a tiger he would loom in the sidelines until the right moment, and with his powerful jump disarms his enemies. (Aomine on the other hand is a panther who capitalizes on his speed to surprise and confuse, and whose unique skill set often instantly kills any motivation his opponents have.) (1)

The first quarter ends with them leading by four points. Even here from across the court she can see the pained look on Kise's face as Kaijou's coach and captain talk to him, no doubt to keep him on the bench from the way their Nakamura-kun is starting to warm up. It must weigh heavily on the entire team, but Kise's young, with two years ahead of him, it's foolish to waste that on pride by playing too much with an injury (or maybe it isn't pride, she thinks, seeing how the usually rough Kasamatsu-san gently pats his head and how white Kise's hand print on his captain's arm is after he lets go). (2)

As the players file back onto court for the second quarter, Momoi catches Aomine whisper something to Kagami, who nods at whatever it was though his eyes widen in surprise. Imayoshi-senpai, who's standing nearby must have heard it because he has an amused smile on his face.

“Should we ask them what they're up to sensei?” she asks Coach Harasawa.

“Let's just watch for now.” he says, and there's no trace of wariness on his face, only curiosity.

She turns her eyes to the court.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

“I'm going to take it slow for a bit,” Aomine told him “I got a plan, rack up points in the meantime.”

Kagami's pretty sure this “plan” was just to enter the Zone near the end of the third quarter (and no sooner than that, so he had more energy to shut Kise down), and it's a bit annoying how Aomine's just delegating himself as the star of the show but he couldn't do anything but nod dumbly after he'd said it because the implied trust was so shocking. He can see Imayoshi grinning like he'd heard their exchange, and he resists the urge to glare at his upperclassman (the only reason anyone in Touou wants him and Aomine to work together is so that they could use both of them more, but they were still probably drinking this up).

Whatever the case, there's no way Kagami's going to pass up this chance. He can't just repeatedly use the secret weapon Alex taught him, that's for Kise and all those other dudes from Teikou, so he decides to just charge forward with rough dunks and he occasionally sneaks in lay ups too. Kaijou's team is good, and their spirit doesn't falter, but Touou's better.

The gap between their scores gets bigger with each passing minute. It's not that Kaijou's not scoring, and their defense is probably better than Touou's, but between Sakurai and Imayoshi's threes and Kagami's own board rattling dunks, it doesn't really matter.

Aomine's making good on taking it slow but he gets in a couple of shots of his own too. It's obvious Kaijou doesn't know what to think about all this. Kagami thinks their captain might even be upset. They're leading by fifteen by the end of the second quarter and Kise's visibly frustrated as Kaijou heads towards their locker room for half time. Kagami sympathizes a little bit, he knows how frustrating it is on the bench, but mostly, he feels so _**alive**_.

He feels like his blood is boiling. Like he's been sleeping until now but suddenly he's wide awake. He can't sit still in their locker room so he goes for a walk instead. They let him leave with a gentle reminder to be on time for the third quarter. He knows he seems distracted, and he is a bit, not from the game but from everything else. He feels like he's close to something. But he doesn't want to think about it, he doesn't want to jinx it.

The third quarter's a lot like the second, or at least he thinks so. All he remembers are random snippets, passing the ball to Sakurai, scrambling for a rebound, getting fouled by Kaijou's number ten. An intense feeling of anticipation. Aomine's unusually loud cackle. The weight of the ball and the squeak of his shoes. The sound of a door opening in the distance. And a familiar welcome rush.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Aomine's plan was simple, get Taiga in the Zone, get himself in the Zone, kick some ass.

Well. It sounded simple in his head. In reality, with Kise on the bench it was going to be hard for both of them to get there. Thus the second (supporting) plan. Rile Taiga up.

That part's relatively easy. But he couldn't do it himself by stealing the ball from Taiga or something because he didn't want to disrupt the flow of the game. Plus, Kaijou's players have good heads on their shoulders, they could have taken advantage of the chaos and cut down their lead. It would have been too messy, and these are the semi-finals so Aomine knows they can't afford that.

His other plan's better but it involved him taking it easy, which had it's own risks, but if Taiga did as he expected him to the pay off would be something else. Like the explosive thrill he felt the first time Taiga opened the gates to the Zone, but better. Like welcoming someone home instead of getting a pleasantly surprising visitor. It's a risk they normally wouldn't be able to afford when playing against a team with one of his Teikou teammates, but one they would not normally have had to take if Kise wasn't injured.

He didn't tell Taiga about his plan of course, because that would have been incredibly counterproductive, a distraction. Taiga's better like this, no longer mindful of stepping on anyone's toes fearing that it'll be bad for the team, going all out and charging in without thinking. It's been a while, Aomine thinks, since he's felt that watching someone was so exhilarating. He wishes sometimes that they were on different teams. Taiga's a diamond in the rough, but Aomine can already see the sparkle. But it's no use thinking about whether Taiga could beat him, if things had been different. It's better to bask in the now.

And right now he's playing the roughest offense he's ever seen done by anyone aside from himself. He used to think that Taiga played like this because he didn't know his own strength, but lately he's realized that maybe it isn't that. He's used to playing against people with bigger builds than him. Taiga's huge for someone Japanese, but in American Basketball he's about average in height and lighter than most people he played against. He had to be rough. With years of that sort of thing under his belt it's easy to see why this is what comes naturally to him. (3)

Obviously it's not Aomine's first time with a teammate that could keep up with him, and it's those same teammates who make good opponents these days. But somehow it's different with Taiga. It _**feels**_ different.

There's movement at Kaijou's bench, Kise's getting up and taking off his jacket. He's saying something to Kaijou's coach and he's got a face on that Aomine's never seen on him before. It hits him again how much he's changed, how much of him isn't the Kise that Aomine knew in middle school. It's strange to think that he doesn't know him well enough right now, to judge whether the change is a good or bad thing, but with the way he's improved he's guesses it's good.

With Kise back in the game so early Aomine's glad his plan worked out so well, it looks like Taiga's barely registering whatever's happening, he's in deep. Kise glances his way then back to Aomine.

“That's sly Aominecchi,” Kise huffs, trying for lighthearted and failing “where has he been all this time anyway?”

“America.” he says, just as the game restarts. It's Touou's ball and Imayoshi passes it to Taiga immediately, throwing a glance Aomine's way while he's at it.

It's a cue, he knows, one which Kise notices to.

They run.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Kagami doesn't know how Aomine manages to talk like he's still aware of his surroundings when he's in the Zone, maybe it's because it isn't a new thing for him the way it is to Kagami. Maybe the adrenaline rush just had vastly different effects on the two of them. Maybe when he was running on nothing but instinct, part of that instinct included being as annoying as humanly possible (Kagami could easily see that). Or maybe it's an effect of the state of hyper awareness that the Zone gives you, maybe it's the only way he know how to express how he felt about everything he noticed while he was playing like this.

Kagami just finds it all overwhelming. But it makes him feel good because his body knows what to do without him having to think about it, because he knows what _**Aomine's**_ going to do without thinking about it. He knows where to stand to receive a baseball pass even before Aomine throws it. He knows when to get the rebound of shots Aomine intentionally misses. He knows when to assist with a screen without Aomine telling him to, when Aomine can block one of Kise's shots on his own and when he needs help (whether he thinks he does or not). And, he finds that he knows what Kise might do too, when he's going for one of Midorima's half court threes or when he's going for Mursakibara's blocks. Mostly Kise copies Aomine, which makes him even more predictable to Kagami.

And whatever he doesn't see, he rushes past. When he's in the Zone he's faster than Kise. Hell, he thinks he might be faster than Aomine if he tried. The thought of it made something in his chest squeeze. His could feel his heart pounding in his throat, and his sweat dripping from every pore of his body.

He's not sure how much time's left in the game, he doesn't even remember what happened in between the third and fourth quarter. He does know that he's tired, but that he doesn't want to stop. Not until the end. Not until that final buzzer.

“Taiga!” he hears Aomine shout, and already, he can feel himself running, ready to jump. Aomine throws the ball to a height that he must know only Kagami can reach, then rushes to the edge of the court ready to receive a pass and shoot a three. Kise must sense what they're trying to do, and immediately he moves to intercept an oncoming pass.

So Kagami doesn't do it. Instead he passes to Sakurai who shoots a beautiful three. As they're rushing back to the other side for their defense Aomine smirks as if that was his plan all along. Kagami doubts that he could be so cunning, or that he'd plan for teamwork, but it's good that he isn't annoyed.

The ball's with Kaijou's captain, he brings it across the half court line before, without looking, passing it to Kise who's to his right. Aomine's not guarding Kise tightly, or at least that's what it would look like to the crowd probably. That level of confidence certainly isn't out of character. But Kise can obviously see it for what it is, a deception. A facade of a lowered guard betrayed only by the slight twitching of his hands. Kise moves cautiously but with confidence, he steps to the left, then right. He locks eyes with Kaijou's captain before circling around Aomine with what Kagami can clearly recognize as one of Aomine's own moves.

For a half a second he's completely boggled that Kise manages to get through until he sees Aomine begin to run towards their side of the court. There's a plan, and Kagami's sure he knows it now. It takes a moment for someone in Kaijou to realize that something's happening. Kise's already shot one of Midorima's high arching threes before someone, Kagami can't tell who, shouts “Kise don't!”

Kagami knows why Kise went for a three, it's natural that he'd want more points at this late stage of the game. But this time it works to their disadvantage, if there's anything Kagami's prepared for it's Midorima's crazy threes. He grabs the ball from the air with a bit of effort, then with all his strength, he throws it towards Aomine's waiting hands.

The board shakes loudly as Aomine slams it in, and by the time his feet are on the ground, the game is over.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

Wakamatsu's shouting. Aomine thinks it's a battle cry or victory cry or _**whatever**_ and it's very annoying but right now he doesn't care. He brings up the end of his jersey to wipe his sweat, pressing the material onto his face, and thinks to himself _“_ _God, what a rush.”_

Is it the teamwork? What a disgusting thought. He wants to believe it isn't. But he thinks about Taiga, and Taiga, and Taiga, and _**Taiga**_ , and there's a part of him that's saying it might not be so bad. Maybe.

He looks at Taiga and sees him grinning, teeth shiny and white, expression completely satisfied, head tilted down slightly, his hair, longer now than when Aomine first met him, partially covering his closed eyelids. It makes him feel a surge of something unnameable. He finds himself jogging briskly towards Taiga and thinking that... thinking that he wants to kiss him?

The realization has his brain skidding to a halt. _“_ _Fuck.”_ he thinks, seeing that he's already grabbed Kagami's face _“Shit.”_

Blessedly, he manages to miss his lips and bang their foreheads together instead. That's not strange, he thinks. He's done that before. Not like a kiss. A kiss he definitely doesn't regret not initiating.

Taiga's screaming at him almost immediately, scolding him. It makes Aomine want to kiss him again. It's a strange, strange thought and he doesn't know what to do with it.

“Please don't turn this into a regular thing,” Taiga is saying “now I have to meet your mom with a lump on my head.”

“It's not even turning red.”Aomine manages to reply, though he still feels thoroughly shell shocked. “Wait, my mom?”

“You said she'd take us back to your place today?” Taiga frowns “Unless that's not on anymore.”

“No it's –” he turns around “it's still on. Let's get this over with, she's probably waiting for us.”

He lines up with the rest of the team, and after they all bow, Kise holds out his hand. Aomine looks at it for a moment, then at Kise's face, before shaking it firmly. As their hands touch he can feel Kise breath a sigh of relief. “Good luck in the finals Aominecchi,” he says, before turning to his right and saying “you too Kagamicchi.”

Taiga's brows furrow, but he holds out a hand regardless. Kise shakes it.

As they head back to their bench he sees Satsuki raising an eyebrow at him. He ignores her, quickly grabbing his stuff and heading into the dugout.

“ _My mom,”_ he thinks _“Taiga's about to meet my_ **mom** _.”_

It wasn't a big deal two hours ago but somehow it is now. He thinks about kissing Taiga again.

He wants to punch himself in the face.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, well we're finally really getting somewhere. Anyway here are the End Notes:
> 
> (1) This paragraph is so cheesy but the main reason I kept it in is how amazed I was when I found out that while panthers (and many other wild cats) dash towards their prey from a hiding place, tigers just jump from their hiding place, like they literally jump from 20-30 feet away, I suppose the cat comparisons Fujimaki made were more thought out than I'd anticipated.
> 
> (2) You can take this however you want, as a manifestation of Kise and Kasamatsu's canon relationship or a hint at romance. I was going a bit for pre-slash. Who knows maybe there'll be a side story sometime lol.
> 
> (3) Kagami's 6'3" and 181 lbs, which is much taller and heavier than the average teenager both in the USA and Japan according to my internet searches but the manga gives the impression that Kagami didn't exclusively play against teenagers, and he definitely didn't when he went back to train with Alex. Given that these adults he played against have been playing a lot of basketball for years (which I think is a fair assumption?), my assessment of them is based on the average height and weight in the NBA (6'7" and 244 lbs respectively). I don't live anywhere near the USA nor have I ever been there so if I'm wrong please don't hesitate to comment/send me an ask on tumblr this.
> 
> (4) A note on Momoi's POV – The constant switching around of the names she uses to refer to people is intentional. I switch around three POVs in this fic and I want the way they're written to reflect the character whose POV they are. But we don't always use people's names in our minds when we think about them, and it's for those thoughts that I used last names with no honorifics in the narration. Momoi switches around between nicknames and last name+honorific when referring to people so I just try to play around w/ that, and how I think it works in her head, because both names seem to come out naturally for her. Additionally, while Kagami and Aomine tend to call other players except for the GoM and Himuro by their jersey numbers, I think Momoi would have memorized even rival team members names so I have her call them their last name+the honorific "kun" here.
> 
> (5) A note on AoKaga – In a fic set in the canon universe, the sort of story that would make sense imo is for Aomine and Kagami's feelings for each other as basketball rivals (the awe and the competitiveness) to bleed into their relationship outside it, and that's the springboard for their romantic feelings. Here, because of their status as teammates, I tried to go for the opposite, Aomine starts respecting Kagami more as a player because he's grown to really really like him as a person. When he says “it's different” than with the GoM, it's not because there's an actual real difference there (though arguably there is), it's because to him it feels different because he feels differently about Kagami as a person.
> 
>  
> 
> We're at a pretty important point in the story where both the romance part and the basketball part of this fic are reaching their climax, and because it's aokaga the two will be interconnected. The next chapter might be out sooner because we have Christmas vacation for two weeks but no promises bc I'm heading for my grandparents' house for the holidays. The chapter after the next one (ch 25) will almost definitely take a while because there's the rest of second semester to get through, and I have 7 major subjects this semester sigh.
> 
> Thank you for reading, I always appreciate the comments/kudos/bookmarks. Even though I usually don't know how to reply I do try to read them all and respond to questions, so if you ask any, please check again the day after you comment because I probably either replied directly and/or in the newest chapter's end notes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dam has been opened.

He doesn't know what to do with these feelings.

Well – maybe that's not quite true. He doesn’t know what he  **_should_ ** do with these feelings, but he knows what he wants to do. He knows that he wants to touch; that he wants to run his fingers through Taiga’s hair, to slowly caress the back of his skull and press his fingers into the dip right above his neck. He knows that he wants to slide his hand down the curve of his spine, to feel the tautness of the muscles there, and to rest his hand on the small of his back as he uses his other to reach down and grab his–

Right. 

He needs to stop. 

These aren't the sort of wants he should be thinking about in the backseat of his mom's car. Especially not when he could feel the heat of Taiga's thigh against his, their limbs a bit too big for the tiny vehicle. 

Wanting to kiss Taiga was a revelation. And, though it feels strange to think of it this way, he feels as if it’s a revelation of something that he’s always known, or at least, something that he feels like he’s always known. It’s a stupid thought. He knows there’s no such thing as always. He’d thought once, that there was. Back when he was young and running around on the mountains in the summer catching cicadas and beetles and whatever else he could get his little hands on. He supposes he’s still young now but he doesn’t feel young anymore, he hasn’t for a while. 

And yet… and yet. Here he was.

“Has Daiki fallen asleep?” he hears his mom ask “He's been awfully quiet.”

Taiga shifts in his seat and the movement causes their knees knock together. “He's awake.” he says, and Aomine tries not to fidget as he receives a searching look.

He doesn't know what his face looks like right now, but he hopes it's nothing like what he's feeling. He shuts his eyes.

“I'm tired.” it was meant to be an excuse, but as the words leave his mouth he realizes he means them “Maybe I will sleep,” he yawns “wake me up when we get home.”

“Why do you keep doing this you ba–” Taiga clears his throat “I mean... Daiki.”

Aomine's eyes shoot open just as he hears Satsuki's no doubt intentionally too loud snort. He hasn't heard Taiga call him that since their day out at Fussa. Since then, he'd remember it at random moments, but never when it was a good chance to tell Taiga to quit it with his last name. Hearing it now is a bit of a shock. Taiga looked embarrassed saying it, judging by his flushed face. Any other time he'd be teasing him for that but right now he's in an odd state of mind and all he wants to do is pull Taiga close and squeeze.

“Dai-chan you've gone stiff,” it’s a struggle not to snort at her choice of words “did you over pace yourself again?”

Since Satsuki sounds genuinely worried, he reels in the instinctive biting remark.

“No, I'm fine.” he says instead “Really, just tired. You know how the Zone is.”

Taiga slumps into his seat, huffing out a breath “Yeah I'm pretty tired to.”

“Why don't you stay over night Taiga-kun? I'm sure Daiki will enjoy the company, he's said such great things about you.”

_ Dammit mom.  _ “About the food!” Aomine shouts.

“Daiki don't shout.” his mother admonishes, and then, in a fond voice she asks “So how about it then Taiga-kun?”

Taiga pauses for a moment, thinking it over. “If you're sure it's not a bother...” he says slowly, voice trailing off. He’s tucking his chin against his chest and his bottom lip is jutted out slightly. He doesn’t turn his head, but he shifts his gaze away from everyone in the car.  _ This is his shy face _ , Aomine realizes.

“No more trouble than Daiki must have been staying over at your house,” she laughs,  _ Way to throw me under the bus mom _ “I hope your parents didn't mind.”

“It's fine,” says Taiga “I live alone since my parents are in America. My mentor's staying over while she's on vacation here, but I have a lot of room.”

“Oh but they must mind all the money that food must cost, Satsuki-chan told me you've been making him lunch for  **_months_ ** .”

“I can't deny that ma'am.” Taiga chuckles.

“He's done an amazing job at it auntie,” Satsuki starts, launching into a spiel about how much work Taiga's apparently had to do thanks to him. 

Aomine rolls his eyes and leans his head against the window. He crosses his arms and tries to get comfortable again for a nap.

“I thought you said  **_you_ ** told her about me.” Taiga whispers right into his ear, nearly making him bash his head through the window. His hand goes to cup the side of his face.

“Too close,” he growls, under his breath “and I did tell her about you, I confirmed what Satsuki said. What does it matter anyway?”

“I was checking if you were a liar on top of being an a–” he purses his lips “– on top of being the worst.”

Aomine flicks a look at the front passenger seat where Satsuki is still extolling Taiga's virtues “Mom can't hear you, you know. You can curse.”

“I'm not taking any chances.” Taiga huffs “I'm not shameless like you.”

“So you say,” Aomine snorts “but here you are, insulting me in front of my mother.”

“I don't need to be a liar to make a good impression. And besides, Momoi probably insults you in front of her all the time.”

“Satsuki's different, mom's known her since she was a baby.”

“You ever think she was just right? Or are you really that blind.”

“Maybe you’re just projecting your problems onto me, you ever think about  **_that_ ** .”

“Wha–” Taiga reels back stunned “how much of an ass–  **_I mean_ ** – how much of a… a  **_bully_ ** do you need to be to say something like that.”

Aomine smirks “You still said ass, what was the point correcting yourself? And  **_bully_ ** ?  **_Really_ ** , Taiga?”

This is easy, this bickering. It’s familiar, comfortable ground and not dangerous uncharted territory that Aomine’s not ready to traverse just yet (no matter how much he’s discovering that he wants to). 

“And there they go again,” Satsuki’s giggling “I’m surprised they were able to behave this long actually.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Daiki so energetic,” there’s a quality to his mother’s voice that fills Aomine with dread “usually I get home to find Satsuki-chan scolding him since he’s parked himself in front of the television eating a popsicle in his underwear. Always too lazy to put some clothes on.”

_ She’s in a sharing mood _ , Aomine realizes in horror. 

Leaning forward Taiga asks, “Really?”. There’s poorly concealed glee in his voice, and the worst part is that Aomine can’t bring himself to be annoyed. The mischievous glint in Taiga’s eye is something he can’t say he’s ever really seen before, and if anything, it’s endearing (which is probably something he should think about as deeply as this newly discovered urge to make out with him).

“Oh yes,” his mother is laughing and betraying him “you mean he’s never done that when he’d slept over?” 

“Never, but he did attempt to strip in the middle of the kitchen.” 

Aomine can’t believe he remembers that, he says as much. 

Taiga looks at him, unimpressed “Wouldn’t  **_you_ ** find it memorable if someone tried to show you their birthday suit?”

“Good job avoiding the word dick there.” The words are out of his mouth before he can help it. He nearly groans when he realizes what he’d said.

“Daiki!” his mother shouts, appalled.

“Sorry,” he says, instinctively, then with a shrug he adds “but I mean, it’s true.”

“Some things should not be said out loud.” she replies firmly, and if she weren’t driving, Aomine knows he’d been on the receiving end of a glare “You shouldn’t have said it after Taiga-kun took the trouble to avoid it.”

“Dai-chan has such low impulse control,” Satsuki says, shaking her head “where did we go wrong with him auntie?”

“We’ve coddled him too much,” and she’s laughing again, so much betrayal from his own flesh and blood “not that I don’t love you the way you are Daiki, but I do wish you’d get up in the morning without anyone having to force you to.”

“Actually he got up on his own once at my place,” Taiga grins “or maybe it was the smell of breakfast that got him moving.”

“Taiga-kun, I think this is the part where I have to ask you if you’ve put a spell on my boy.”

“Spells wouldn’t work on Dai-chan,” Satsuki snorts “he’s too obtuse.”

Aomine knows that replying to any of this is essentially just digging a deeper hole for himself, so he decides to ignore whatever they’re saying in favor of taking that nap. It’s hard to get cozy enough, so he has to slide a bit towards Taiga more, trying not to feel self-conscious as their thighs stick closer together. It’s all worth it when he manages to rest his cheek semi-comfortably near the door handle. Another wave of tiredness hits him, and he gives into it, drowning out the noise. Taiga laughs, sincere and wonderful. It’s the last thing hears before he finally drifts to sleep.

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

  
  
  


Kagami tries to help with dinner but Aomine’s mother shoos him away. She couldn’t let him help out just yet, she says, telling him to go watch tv with Aomine and Momoi instead. She’s not much like Kagami’s own mother, but being taken care of still reminds him of her. It makes him miss home. Tokyo's great, and he doesn’t feel as lonely or displaced as he did in middle school but he’d left a life behind in L.A. He did it voluntarily, granted, but sometimes you don’t know what you have till you lose it. The feeling must show on his face because Momoi gives him a worried look after he seats himself on the couch in the living room.

“What’s wrong Kagamin?”

“Nothing,” he says, she clearly doesn't believe him, “Well," he sighs "just thinking about home I guess.”

“Home?” Momoi looks confused “Did you leave something on?”

The mistake has him smiling a little. Momoi doesn’t even really think of him as a returnee does she? 

“I was actually thinking about L.A., I was born here in Japan but most of the life I remember living, I lived over there.”

“Oh,” Momoi looks thoughtful, beside her Aomine’s obviously listening in though he's trying his best to pretend to be watching tv, “do you plan to go back to America after high school?”

“I guess.” he says “I’m really only here because… well it doesn’t matter anymore, but I think I’ll take the exam for UCLA or something, or try for basketball scholarships maybe,” he shrugs “I mean Japan’s great but the NBA’s my goal, so…”

“It’ll be lonely when you go back.” she says.

He doesn’t expect the words, and a startled laugh leaves him “There’s still two years of high school left for us you know?”

“I know.” Momoi nods sadly, Kagami feels bad a little “Still.”

“Do you need to speak English to get into the NBA?”

It doesn’t register right away, that Aomine’s the one who spoke. Which is ridiculous because there’s only the three of them in the room, he knows, but it’s a question he never would have expected of him.  _ Is he thinking of going pro?, _ he wonders, realizing that he never thought that Aomine would. He’s an amazing player, arguably as good as any NBA rookie and even some veterans, but it always felt like basketball isn’t what Aomine wants for his life, like it’s just an occasionally fun chore to him. Maybe, Kagami thinks, he doesn’t know him as well as he presumes.

“Generally yeah,” he says after a pause “there are international players who weren’t that great at it at first but everyone has to learn, it’s hard to succeed in the NBA otherwise.”

Aomine hums thoughtfully, not looking at him or Momoi. Kagami wonders what’s going on inside his head. 

They spend the rest of the time before dinner in thoughtful silence. Momoi’s mind was obviously reeling from the implications of Aomine’s question. A plan was slowly forming in her head no doubt. Kagami on his part, doesn’t know what to think about it. It never really occurred to him before, but now that the thought of him and Aomine playing with or against each other in the NBA is in his head it’s hard to get out. 

It’s an attractive daydream. He wonders if Aomine would ever take the initiative to make it a possibility.

Momoi finds her voice again during dinner. Although Kagami suspects it has more to do with keeping appearances for Aomine’s mom than having gotten over their last conversation. Kagami’s still thinking about it at the back of his mind as he replies to any question they throw his way. 

Aomine on the other hand just quietly eats his food. His mood is unreadable. At first Kagami had assumed that he was deep in thought but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Maybe he’s hiding it, maybe his mind is made up.  _ Maybe _ , he realizes,seeing at the distant look in Aomine’s eyes,  _ maybe he’s distracted. _

After they’ve all seen Momoi off and the extra futon’s been set up on the floor of Aomine’s room, the two of them are left alone. 

“You should use the bath,” Aomine says, reclining on his bed “guests first and all that.”

“Right,” Kagami scratches his neck “should I tell your mom first?”

“Probably, I don’t know where the towels are.”

“Typical,” he snorts “I’ll be back in a few then.”

“Take your time.” 

He does. But not for reasons he’d admit to Aomine. He remembers a little, from his early childhood in Japan the protocol for using bathtubs, but he hurriedly texts Momoi anyway to check. Her reply is immediate, she calls to coo at him and explain that yes, he does have to clean himself thoroughly before getting into the tub, and yes, he does have to clean the tub water when he gets out. She seems both amused and surprised at his Americaness. There’s a reason his parents got him an apartment with a shower.

He scrubs himself maybe a little bit too hard and too much, his skin is pink even before he gets in the tub. But once he’s climbed in, he enjoys the heat. It feels good on his tired muscles. He thinks he could fall asleep here, but he slaps himself awake. It wouldn’t be proper after all. He spends about ten minutes in there, he thinks, before deciding he’d probably taken long enough. 

Wearing Aomine’s clothes is strange. He’s not sure if it’s in a good or a bad way, but it definitely makes him feel self-conscious. Is this how Aomine feels every time he has to borrow Kagami’s clothes? Probably not, the bastard didn’t dwell on things like that too much. It’s one of the things he likes about Aomine, he realizes, feeling a little embarrassed to even think it. He looks flushed, he knows, when he reenters Aomine’s room to tell him its his turn, but Aomine doesn’t notice. He just walks past him, looking drowsy. 

Kagami dries his hair with his towel until it’s only slightly damp, then lays on the futon. He stays there, looking at the ceiling for who knows how long until Aomine busts in again, hair dripping, and steps over him to crash into his bed.  

“I’m tired.” he says, voice muffled as he presses his face onto his pillow. 

“Me too.” Kagami says, looking up at him.

Aomine shifts his head on the covers to look back, hesitantly, he smiles. It’s a subdued version of the megawatt explosion of happiness he has on his face after a particularly satisfying game. Kagami doesn’t know what he did to deserve it.

He knows he must be gaping dumbly right now. 

“Sleep.” Aomine says, reaching down to gently bump Kagami’s cheek with his fist. He rolls over to face away from him. Flushing, Kagami does the same.  
  
  


 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

  
  
  


The giddiness, Aomine decides, is something he can easily learn to embrace. The attraction is another story. Embracing that wasn’t just up to him. He doesn’t even know if Taiga feels attraction. He acts like jacking off is just something he has to get through. He’s the single minded type, basketball is everything to him right now, and in the future too it seemed like. There wasn’t any time for the kind of thoughts Aomine’s been having. Not for Taiga. Not when he’s aiming for something Aomine never even dreamed for himself as a kid. 

It was strange to hear him call America home. It upsets him, he realizes, every time he hears of Kagami’s other life. Possibly, he thinks, because he’ll never be a part of it. Maybe he could be, if he tried. He still had more or less two years to learn English after all. He can’t believe his thinking about it, but he thinks the alternative isn’t more attractive anyway. He can see himself playing in the BJ League while taking part time jobs for a while, but eventually that’ll get boring. Going to the National Police Academy is his second choice, and he likes the idea but…

But maybe he could do better.

He knows he has the skills. All he has to do is overcome the language barrier. His parents, his father especially, would be supportive and thrilled if he took the initiative to ask for an English tutor. There’s nothing in the way of realizing the image of him and Taiga, together or on opposite sides of the court, with hulking Americans beside them and a whole new breed of challenge that Aomine’s never faced. (There's nothing that is, aside from himself.)

He wakes up that morning to the gentle twittering of birds. They sky’s still dim, it’s barely past dawn. The morning dew is cool on his skin, relaxing. On the floor beside him, Taiga’s still asleep. Waking up before him is all too rare, and it gives him the chance to observe. Taiga’s flat on his back, his face is turned away from Aomine. One arm is slack on his side, the other, bent so that his hand rests on his belly. His shirt is riding up a little, exposing part of his navel. 

_ That’s my shirt _ , Aomine thinks absently, as he stares at the patch of bare skin. Thoughts he willed away during the car ride home come back to him at nearly full force now. It’s mystifying, he thinks, how he could like the sight of him as much as he likes boobs. Boobs are filled with dreams and it’s always good to have as many dreams as possible. Obviously Taiga didn’t have boobs, not the kind he loves at least, but he was full of dreams all the same. Looking at him makes Aomine feel warm inside, in a lot of complicated ways. Sitting here on the edge of his bed just staring makes him feel like a bit of creep though. 

_ This is ridiculous _ , he sighs. 

He’s about to stand up when he hears a muffled groan. Taiga’s head turns his way, he’s eyes are open, still glassy with sleep. 

“What time is it?” he asks, words barely discernible.

“5 am.” Aomine lies, he leans down to pat Taiga’s cheek, keeps his hand there when he says “Go back to sleep.”

Taiga brings up a hand to cup his, lightly runs his thumb across Aomine’s knuckles. He’s smiling, and it surprises Aomine how much affection there is to it. Suddenly it feels like his heart’s hammering in his chest. 

“Why are you awake?” Taiga yawns, eyes fluttering shut, unaware of his internal panic.

Aomine doesn’t answer him. He watches instead, how Taiga’s breathing slowly settles into a steady rhythm. When he’s sure that he’s fallen asleep again, he carefully pries his hand away. 

He sucks in a sharp breath, pressing his palms into his eyes.

_ This is a problem. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit funny how I managed to finish this in the middle of my midterms week, I am truly much more productive in non-school things when I am trying to escape school things. Anyway. For those who haven't seen it yet, I've been editing this fic from the beginning. Chapter 1, 3 and 5 have segments which are significantly different, while there are a lot of other scattered changes in the way things are said/narrated in the other chapters. I've stopped for now at Chapter 18, but will resume editing after my last midterm this Friday (probably).
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos. Reading about how much you guys have liked this so far gives me life haha.


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It just keeps getting super awkward and neither of them know what they're doing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about a thousand words longer than the previous chapters, so it's even more likely that this'll have errors, forgive me hahaha.

When Kagami wakes up, its nine in the morning and Aomine's gazing blankly out his open door balancing a spinning basketball on his right index finger. He stares at him, bewildered, for a moment, until Aomine meets his eyes. He sits up then, and watches, with a bit of awe as Aomine crooks the finger balancing the ball, and lets the ball bounce on the bent finger. The ball stops right before it reaches the ceiling and falls down into Aomine's hand.

“Morning.” he says, and Kagami can tell he was going for nonchalant but was, for some reason, failing. He wonders about what's on his mind. He wonders too if that little trick he just witnessed is part of Aomine's endless arsenal of 'formless' shots.

“Morning.” Kagami replies. He checks his phone “Damn I slept in, how long have you been awake?”

“Not long,” Aomine says, not meeting his eyes “we should probably go down for breakfast. I heard mom go downstairs already.”

“Sure,” Kagami says slowly “will your dad be there too?”

“Nah, he's on a business trip,” Aomine turns to smirk at him “you'll meet him this Christmas when you cook that feast.” (1)

“When I cook the–” his eyes widen “you've been going to morning practice.” which of course meant, that he'd won the bet.

“I'd say that I hate to say I told you so, but that's a lie, I love it. _**I told you so.**_ ”

Kagami rolls his eyes “Well it's been good for the team at least. Your stamina isn't embarrassing anymore.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night Taiga,” Aomine stands up “but anyway, breakfast.”

Kagami lets Aomine lead the way to the kitchen. Aomine's mom had only just begun cooking when they enter. Kagami offers to help but she shoos him away, he wonders if the Christmas feast will even happen when she insists on treating him like an honored guest. He sits across Aomine at the dining table, answering questions she throws his way about his life in America, watching her throw fond looks her son's way every time he made a snarky remark about something Kagami had said. Aomine doesn't see these looks, he thinks Aomine's mom means to hide it from him. He tries not to dwell on why, it'd be rude, he thinks, to pry.

They're in the middle of talking about Kagami's old basketball friends when Momoi walks in eyes blazing. She slams down what seems to be a sports tabloid on the table.

She exchanges brief good mornings with Aomine's mom before turning to them and saying “They're calling you the 'Twin Power Forwards of Touou',” she crosses her arms “not a completely accurate nickname but it's pretty catchy I guess.” (2)

Kagami grunts “I'm not sure that's a compliment to be honest.” one one hand, he's being put at par with Aomine in terms of skill, on the other hand, people think the two of them are similar.

Aomine leans forward to read the article “Will this exciting new tandem be enough to defeat Kings?” he snorts “Who the heck is writing this crap? How is it on the front page?”

“You've been making sports headlines since we were in middle school Dai-chan,” she sits herself down next to Aomine “and naturally they'd be talking about the Winter Cup finals, especially since it's between you and Akashi-kun. Anyway the article's pretty interesting, it's a balanced look at your strengths and weaknesses. The writer's betting on Rakuzan's win though.”

“Right.” Aomine leans back, looking uncomfortable for some reason.

Kagami's surprised he doesn't say anything more, that there's no snide _the only one who can beat me is me,_ or even _I have no weaknesses_. He throws him a confused look before turning to Momoi, “So what's the deal with this Akashi guy?”

“A loaded question,” Momoi sighs “I promise I'll tell you the whole story tonight but the short version is, he's the perfect point guard, a genius frankly in both basketball and academics.”

Kagami nods slowly “Wait. Tonight?”

“Yup!” Momoi lifts a bag “I'm sleeping over, surprise!” she turns to Aomine “You should too Dai-chan.”

“Mom can I sleep over at Taiga's?” Aomine asks loudly.

“If it's not a bother to Taiga-kun,” she replies “Is it a bother Taiga-kun?”

“Oh, uh,” he palms the side of his neck “it's fine... uh.. ma'am.”

She chuckles “No need to be formal, just call me auntie like Satsuki-chan does.”

Kagami nods, smiling back weakly.

“So why are we staying over?” Aomine says to Momoi.

“I wanted to talk to Alex-san,” she taps her fingers on the table “and I want to tell Kagami-kun a story.”

“A story.” Aomine says flatly “What stor–” his eyes widen “ _ **NO.**_ _”_

“It's necessary.” Momoi says, meeting his glare “To understand Akashi-kun, if nothing else.”

“It's no one's business but ours.” Aomine grits out. “You told me you wouldn't.” (3)

“And I still won't,” she says “I won't tell the team. Kagami-kun's not the team.”

A tense silence follows, with the two of them staring each other down. _This is definitely about Teikou_ , Kagami thinks, contemplating on how to calm them. But thankfully, he doesn't have to.

“Don't have a spat during breakfast,” Aomine's mom says, setting their food down on the table “leave that for after dears.”

“Sorry auntie.” says Momoi, “Breakfast looks amazing as usual.”

She laughs “Flatterer.”

Aomine aggressively picks up his chopsticks and starts eating, still thoroughly pissed. He's doesn't look at anyone for the rest of the meal, but neither woman on the table seemed to mind. Kagami thinks this sort of thing probably happened often. It didn't take much to annoy Aomine after all, although he is more cheerful these days.

After breakfast Aomine's mom offers to drive them to his apartment, and Momoi accepts without anyone else's consent. She then manhandles both of them back to Aomine's room so that they could get ready to leave.

“What's the goddamn rush?” Aomine growls.

“We need to go out to buy new shoes.” she says cheerfully.

“Why would we need to buy new shoes?” Kagami asks.

“Oh Kagamin,” she's looking at him pityingly and it is frankly pissing him off “have you not looked at your basketball shoes lately?”

“What are you on about?” he growls.

“You'll see,” she says, pushing them into Aomine's room “now get ready quick! It'll be hard to find shoes your size, especially at such short notice.”

Kagami turns to Aomine intending to share an annoyed look with him, only to find him already packing an overnight bag. Kagami arches an eyebrow at the sight for a moment, and when Aomine doesn't meet his eyes or say anything, he shakes his head and starts getting changed.

Momoi and Aomine's mom are waiting for them at the foyer. Kagami crouches down to put his shoes on but Momoi grabs them before he can.

“Dai-chan should probably lend you some slippers for the ride to you apartment.” she gives Aomine a look.

Aomine clicks his tongue “Why should I?”

She lifts the shoes in her hands, revealing obviously disintegrating rubber.

“My,” Aomine's mom says “they look like they'll fall apart any moment.”

“Exactly auntie, he can't use these to go back to his apartment let alone play a whole game tomorrow.” she throws Aomine another meaningful look, to which he answers with a roll of his eyes.

“Fine I'll get him something.” he says, walking back upstairs.

It takes him longer than expected to come back down and he looks uneasy when he hands Kagami used looking but clean slippers.

“Thanks.” Kagami says, with a confused look on his face.

As they file into the car, Aomine's quiet, and he's shifty for the whole ride to Kagami's apartment. He inches away from Kagami every time they accidentally touch. Kagami thinks Aomine meant to move away subtly, but in such a small space it was hard not to catch someone deliberately physically avoiding you. And it bothers him.

Aomine's been so annoyingly touchy feely with him for a long while now, so seeing him try to be the opposite was more than just a little weird. It wasn't like he was completely avoiding him either, he's still adamantly bickering with him about random shit. It's just... he looks uncomfortable. Kagami wonders if he did something wrong.

Then a memory comes to him, of a dream that he's now realizing was reality, of pressing Aomine's hand to his check, caressing his knuckles and smiling like an idiot before drifting back to sleep.

He doesn't know what he looked like, what Aomine saw, but he remembers now, what _**Aomine**_ looked like.

Panicked.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

It's so dumb. Aomine doesn't know why he did it. They were going shopping for new shoes for Taiga anyway, it's just completely unnecessary. But when he'd gone back to his room to get his old beach slippers and they were there, brand new, practically untouched, and in Touou's colors... He just grabbed the box and stuffed them in his bag.

They're Jordans as red as Kagami's hair with splatters of black as dark as their jersey. He hadn't bought them with any plan to use them any time soon. He hadn't bought them out of any great fondness for his team's jersey either. He bought them, he now realizes, because they reminded him of Taiga's stupid hair, because he'd “liked the shade of red for some reason”. Embarrassing. So completely embarrassing.

And now he's brought them along. For what? What was he thinking? Was he thinking of just giving these to Taiga? Of giving away nearly a year's of his allowance just like that?

But then again wasn't that what Taiga's been doing for him all this time? With the giant burgers and the lunches which were more amazing than they had any right to be?

Who invests that much on another person? It's probably not inaccurate to say, he realizes, that right now Kagami's got all his eggs in Aomine's basket. Or Touou's basket. Either way he has a strong urge to invest right back. He kind of already has, but these shoes... they're something tangible. Something solid.

“Do you have any stores in mind Dai-chan? That we should check out first?” Satsuki asked him as they waited for Taiga in his living room. He'd gone to change into something more casual and to _'get Alex to change into something,_ anything _'._

“A few,” he said, eyeing his overstuffed bag “but it's fifty-fifty if they'll have shoes our size.”

“Well we'll just have to go through every possible store then.” she replied, as if it was so easy.

That afternoon they learn, of course, that it's not.

It's exhausting, and none of the stores, as Aomine had suspected, had any shoes their size. They spent hours going around all the shoe stores they knew of, and every failure has Aomine thinking about the shoes in his bag at Taiga's apartment. One store finally said they had his size, but Taiga cursed loudly in English when the store clerk brought back shoes much smaller than they'd anticipated, realizing he'd forgotten to clarify that he was talking about American sizes. (4)

It's late in the afternoon and they're snacking dejectedly on fries at a Maji Burger when Aomine finally decides to say something.

“Let's just go back to Taiga's apartment,” he says, and both Taiga and Satsuki open their mouths to object, but he cuts them off “I've got another pair.”

Satsuki sighs “I suppose that's a good temporary solution, are you alright with that Kagami-kun?”

“Sure,” Taiga shrugs “do we have to go back to your house again though?”

“No,” Aomine says, pretending to take a keen interest on his fries “they're in my bag at your apartment.”

Taiga nods finding nothing strange about that at all, but Aomine can _**feel**_ Satsuki's gaze bore into him. He refuses to look up.

On the way back to Taiga's apartment she leans towards him to whisper “You planned to give him those shoes from the start didn't you?”

“I don't know what you're talking about.” he whispers back, which earns him a disbelieving look “But I guess I was thinking about it.”

“It's good that you're doing something nice for him.”

Aomine snorts, trying to hide how embarrassed he feels. “Are you really going to tell him? About the that last final at Teikou?”

Satsuki's face hardens “Yes. I know why you don't want me to Dai-chan, and I'm glad you're protesting actually. It means you're finally acknowledging that what you guys did was wrong.”

Aomine resists the urge to click his tongue. He knows it'll upset Satsuki and he's trying not to upset her whenever he actually thinks she has a point these days. _See Taiga? I'm following your advice_.

He sighs “I plan on talking to him about the other Zone thing.”

“You mean _**that**_ thing?” her eyes widen.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Taiga asks, frowning.

“Oh just the details of our Christmas party.” Satsuki is truly a master at changing the subject “Oh! You'll be cooking for that this year won't you Kagamin?”

Taiga grimaces “Ugh, yeah. Gotta think about a menu now I guess.”

Satsuki bombards him with suggestions all the way to his apartment, where Alex greets them with takeout gyudon. Seeing the large stack obviously meant for Taiga, Aomine grabs him by the arm and starts pulling him to his bedroom. No way was he going to wait till after he wolfs all that down to tell him this. He's definitely not waiting till after Satsuki tells him about Teikou either. Not when he doesn't know how Taiga would react.

“Close the door, we gotta talk.” he says, after entering the room. He turns to look at Taiga and is surprised to find him looking upset.

“About this morning?” he asks, expression pinched.

“What?” Aomine furrows his eyebrows “What about this morning?”

“You _**know**_ what,” Taiga growls “you've been uncomfortable around me all day.”

“No I wasn't.” he snaps out automatically “What are you talking about?”

“You were trying really hard not to touch me in the car, it was easy to tell. I–” Taiga shakes his head “I'm sorry I did that, I mean I guess most guys would find what was pretty much hand-holding weird. And whatever face I was making then forget about it, I was half asleep.”

 _Oh._ Aomine thinks _Oh this is about_ **this morning**.

The part of it that Aomine didn't think Taiga remembered.

The part that made him realize just how utterly screwed he is.

 _I don't want to forget about it_. He wants to say, but instead he's gaping at Taiga with his mouth open looking like a dumbass.

“Don't be sorry.” is what finally comes out “I mean, that's not– I think _**I**_ might have given you the wrong impression.”

Taiga scoffs “Not wanting to touch me gives a pretty clear message.”

“Shut up for a minute would you,” he grabs his bicep and squeezes “look, touching. The problem's not – it's not you alright?”

“Please tell me you're not doing an 'It's not you, it's me' speech.” Taiga blanches.

“I'm not– ok maybe I am, but it's the truth.”

“If you're disgusted just say so, don't try to be nice it's gross.”

“Why would I be disgusted!?”

“You–” Taiga blinks “Wow, ok I'm an idiot.” (5)

“No arguments here.”

Taiga breathes out, and it sounds relieved. Aomine wonders if he missed something around the end there, or in the entire vague conversation they just had.

“So what did you want to talk to me about if not this?”

Aomine lets go of his arm to run his hand through his hair “It's the Zone,” he says “I thought I should tell you that the uh, _**version**_ of it that we've been... accessing, isn't the 'true' version, in a manner of speaking.”

“What?” Taiga's eyebrows furrow “What do you mean?”

“Well you know how going into the Zone kinda feels like you're sinking into water?” Taiga nods slowly “So thing is, if you get deep enough, you'll end up in front of a door, just barely at the threshold of something else you know? But, there's a catch, there's a dude blocking the door, a gatekeeper of sorts, and you gotta get through him to reach the next level.”

“And.. you've done this?”

“Well,” he scratches his neck “no. Not yet. It's never been necessary, I never really had the chance to try. I'm telling you now because I have a feeling going against Akashi would put us in a position where we'd _**have**_ to try.”

“You're serious,” Taiga says “you think we could lose.”

“We won't lose,” Aomine snorts “but... I suppose that it _**is**_ possible.”

Taiga doesn't look too happy about that “Can Akashi go into the Zone?”

“I don't know for sure, but I'm leaning towards yes. He's... well, Satsuki'll explain it to you later.” he steps back and scans the room for his bag “I uh, also wanted to talk to you about the shoes.” he pulls the box out of his bag and hands it to him.

“Thanks.” Taiga's eyes widen when he opens the box “These're Jordans.” he says, voice flat in his disbelief “Brand new Jordans.”

“Yeah uh, haven't even put them on except the one time at the store.” he shrugs, hoping that the heat he feels creeping up from his neck doesn't show on his face “I'm giving them to you.”

“ _ **Giving?**_ ” he looks back and forth between Aomine and the shoes “But these are... Are you _**sure**_?”

“Yeah I mean,” he clears his throat, and _really_ hopes isn't blushing “it's kind of fitting for you if you think about it.”

Taiga chuckles, eyes gleaming as he gazes at the shoes. “I thought you didn't watch pro-basketball.”

“Everyone knows Michael Jordan.” Aomine's proud that that came out as teasing as it did, seeing as what he really wanted to say was _I love your smile._

“You're–” Taiga shakes his head, still smiling “Thanks. This is... This is great.”

“Well I've got good taste.”

Taiga laughs again.Aomine loves the sound of it.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

It all makes sense when Aomine gives him the shoes. It figures that he'd have such a weird reaction to even thinking about doing something nice for someone. It's hilarious how awkward he is and it makes Kagami ridiculously happy that he gets to be a witness to this side of him, that he gets to be the cause of it.

He's in a good mood for all of dinner. So good he doesn't care when Alex starts teasing him about it. So good that he nearly forgets Momoi's sleeping over because she wanted to tell him something.

“So Satsuki-chan,” Alex starts “you said you had a story to tell.”

“Oh! Yes,” Momoi sets down her chopsticks and clears her throat “I take it that you've read my research on Rakuzan's players, Kagami-kun.”

“I have,” he nods “they're definitely a notch above all the teams we've faced so far.”

“Right well, have you noticed anything... unusual?”

Kagami pauses “Well the fact that their captain's a first year I guess, and that fifth starter, that Mayuzumi guy, kind of out of place.”

Momoi nods “I have a theory about Mayuzumi-san, but let's leave that for later. It is strange that Akashi-kun would be the captain so soon, that is, if you don't know him. What do you think of his skills?”

“Well I feel like I'm missing something to be honest, I can't understand how that Emperor Eye thing works.” he shrugs “But I guess it's kind of like how I don't understand Aomine's formless shots, it's just that it's impossible for me to do personally, so I can't fully grasp it.”

“Someone should have recorded that.” Aomine quips.

“Shush Dai-chan,” a brief look of amusement passes Momoi's face before she turns serious again “I guess I should start from the beginning. Akashi-kun is... how do you say this, there are two of him.”

“A split personality?” Alex asks.

Momoi hums thoughtfully “Something like that, and the one in control right now is very dangerous.”

“Yeah I know,” Kagami grunts “he tried to stab me.”

“He...” Momoi stops “He _**what**_?”

“Let's talk about that later,” Aomine interjects “just get on with the story Satsuki.”

“Right.” she says, still looking startled “Right of course,” she clears her throat again “Well, you see, Akashi-kun wasn't always like that...”

Momoi talks well into the night. About the old Akashi, about his sudden drastic change in personality. About Murasakibara's part in triggering it, and Midorima's great displeasure with it. She talks aboutKise suggesting that they compete with each other during matches, how it became a game they played often. How Akashi had taken it to lengths it should have never gone. How they hadalmost definitely broken the heart of Kuroko in the process.

Her voice was steady, but all the while Momoi looked as if she was near tears, and in the background Aomine's face grew progressively grimmer. When she finishes all of them are quiet.

Alex's face is unreadable, Kagami can't tell what she makes of the story. Momoi's staring at her lap, biting her lower lip. And Aomine... Aomine looks like he wants to get the hell out of here.

“How'd you feel about that last final?” he looks straight at Aomine when he asks this.

“I don’t know.” Aomine says, voice strained “It was just something we did. It didn’t matter to me.”

Alex lets out a short burst of laughter “Oh to be _**young**_ ,” she says, shaking her head “don’t lie _**Dai-chan**_ , you feel bad. If not back then, then now at least, you do.” And then, bizarrely, she winks at Kagami. “More importantly though, this boy Akashi is going to be tricky. It's not just his technical skills I'm worried about, it's the effect he has on other people emotionally. His strategy depends partially on charisma, one he must have a lot of if nobody in Rakuzan is complaining about a first year being the captain.”

“The Akashi-kun before he changed had a different sort of charisma than the Akashi-kun now. He used to give off a kind atmosphere. Now he's...” Momoi sighs “I don't know how to talk to him, not really. It's almost like he's a parody of himself.”

Aomine snorts at that but he doesn't say anything. He's not meeting anyone's eyes.

“Why tell us this?” Kagami asks “Why not the whole team?”

“Because you might need this information, and I don't think anyone else on the team would.”

“I see,” Alex sighs “so you're afraid of Akashi turning back to his old self.”

“What? Why? Wouldn't that be a good thing?”

Momoi shakes her head “Well, in a way yes, I do want the old Akashi-kun back, but in a way, no it's not good. I don't know what he'll be capable of, and it makes me uneasy, even Dai-chan and Ki-chan are more predictable than he is.”

“Don't beat yourself up over it Satsuki-chan,” Alex places a hand on her shoulder “you can't analyze data that isn't there, and speaking of missing data, I would worry about that one named Mayuzumi. I don't see any reason why he'd be a starter, but the way you've described Akashi leads me to believe he wouldn't be a starter if he wasn't crucial or special.”

“Yes, I was saying earlier that I have some theories about Mayuzumi-san, mainly I think, he could be someone like Tetsu-kun.”

“Oh, you're shitting me,” Aomine puts his head in his hands “don't tell me he did it.”

“I can't think of any other reason.” Momoi frowns “It would be just like him to try and create a better version of Tetsu-kun.”

“If Tetsu finds out...” Aomine trails off. He doesn't say more, but Momoi seems to have understood what he was trying to say.

She nods “Yes, exactly. And an improved Akashi-kun with another player like Tetsu-kun would be...”

“A huge pain.” Aomine continues “But we can beat them.”

Kagami arches an eyebrow at him “You sound like you have a plan.”

“I do, and I already told you about it.”

“You mean the second gate? That's not a plan, we have no idea if we can pull that off.”

“He's right Dai-chan! You haven't even been able to do it!”

“Hold on a moment,” Alex interrupts “its seems like I'm the only one who has no idea what this second gate business is, care to enlighten me Taiga?”

“It's the second gate in the Zone, we have to 'open' it to achieve the 'true' form, whatever that is.”

“Oh is that what he pulled you away for earlier,” Alex snorts “so there's another level to the Zone then, do you know how to achieve it in theory?”

“Well.” Aomine averts his gaze.

“He doesn't.” Kagami says for him “We know it exists and that something's preventing us from entering it but that's it.”

“Well you're both better off figuring it out in a real game anyway.” Alex pats Momoi's shoulder “Don't worry about them Satsuki-chan, they'll manage something.”

“I guess they usually do.” Momoi sighs “More of that teamwork from the semi-finals should help.”

“Well if we stay up any later we could lose because we're too tired.” Aomine grunts.

Kagami nods “Yeah we should turn in for the night. You alright bunking with Alex for the night Momoi?”

“Of course! We're going to complain about you two all night!”

Alex laughs “I'm counting on an interesting night Satsuki-chan.”

They part ways in the hallway between the guest room and Kagami's room, and he tells Momoi that she and Alex could use the shower first. She nods and tells him to “be nice”. He doesn't know what she's talking about however, until he plops down onto his bed and realizes that Aomine's lingering at the door instead of invading the room like he usually did.

Kagami raises an eyebrow “What's up?”

Aomine looks at him like he thinks the question is a test. Like he's holding back what he wants to say because he doesn't think it's what he _**should**_ say. Which is... a first.

“You aren't pissed.” he says finally.

“No?” Kagami says “No, I'm not.”

There's a pause as Aomine tries to read his face.

“Look,” Kagami sighs “I knew you were an asshole. Well, _**are**_ an asshole, but you're a little less of an asshole than before to be fair. Whatever Momoi said wasn't really surprising to me, I mean the fact that there are two Akashis is actually pretty surprising, but everything else was kind of expected. Anyone who's met you guys would expect it. So no, I'm not pissed at you. If you ever did it again I would be, but right now no.”

Aomine narrows his eyes at him, Kagami's pretty sure he's trying to see if he should believe him. “Good,” he says after a beat “we don't have time for your drama.”

Kagami rolls his eyes “ _ **My**_ drama, sure.” He _**is**_ planning to meet Tatsuya before the finals tomorrow though. He just hasn't had the heart to send the text yet. “You should apologize to Kuroko by the way.”

Aomine stills “That's my business.”

“Sure,” Kagami shrugs “and it's your choice, but I think you'd feel better if you did.”

“Enough of that,” Aomine snaps “where's your extra futon?”

Before he can stop himself Kagami replies, “What, you aren't going to sleep with me today?”

And then there's a moment, where he and Aomine stare at each other wide eyed and Kagami thinks, _this is it,_ _I finally fucked up_.

Aomine finds his voice first, but all he manages is a weak and awkward “Uh...”

“Ignore that.” Kagami says hurriedly “It was a joke, I... didn't deliver it well.”

“No its...” Aomine raises a hand, but then stops it midair like he's not sure what to do with it “Do you want to?”

“What?” Kagami can feel his face burn.

“ _ **I mean**_ ,” he stiffly waves the hand he has up “I don't mean like–” and then horrifyingly he puts his right index finger through a circle he's formed with his left index finger and thumb. Kagami's pretty sure his face reflects how mortified he is. Aomine looks like he can't quite believe he just did that either.

“Shit,” Aomine says “what the hell, forget it. Forget I did that.”

 _I don't think I can_ , Kagami thinks, lifting a hand to his face, _no matter how much I want to._

“Maybe it's for the best...” he says slowly “if you slept on the extra futon tonight.”

“Right'” Aomine says “Yeah.” he angles is body towards the door “I should– oh, right, Satsuki and Alex went first.”

Kagami doesn't know what face Aomine's making, he's too busy trying to hide his own furious blush. They stay there in painful silence for what feels like hours until Alex knocks on the door and says “Shower's yours boys!”

“You should go first.” Kagami says “I'll... bring out the futon.”

Aomine nods, avoiding his gaze, and heads out of the room.

Kagami buries his face in his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) lmao, watch me avoid writing Aomine's dad bc I don't want to name OCs and it's hard enough writing "Aomine's mom" all the time
> 
> (2) yes, both Aomine and Kagami play as power forwards. It's not unusual for a basketball teams' starting roster to deviate from the standard five positions, but I suppose Aomine and Kagami's unique situation would be news and nickname worthy in the knb universe haha
> 
> (3) I didnt show the conversation they're referring to here because most of the non-basketball game scenes happen in Kagami's POV, which is obviously kinda changing now though, now that romance is actually happening (i.e. there'll be more Aomine pov, as there has been in the last three chapters)
> 
> (4) idk if this is actually a thing in Japanese stores or anywhere else, I couldn't find anything on it, but well it's a thing here in the Philippines. You have to specify if you're referring to American sizes or European sizes in a lot of shoe stores, and then it's also different from one's size in local brands so... yeah. Anyway haha.
> 
> (5) Kagami's saying this because he realized that Aomine doesn't even really know what he's talking about. He thought he'd figured out his more than platonic feelings haha but nope. I was planning on talking about this in Kagami's POV in this chapter but since I didn't get a chance to squeeze it in and to avoid confusion about this line, I'm noting this here.
> 
> Other matters: 
> 
> > I am in no way confident about the way I write or interpret Akashi, so if you'll disagree with his portrayal in the finals later on, I'm sorry haha.
> 
> > Because I'm not confident about how I write Akashi, getting out the chapters on the finals might take a while, although who knows, since I actually have a pretty detailed outline of what I want to happen for this match typed down haha.
> 
> > So, the next update is going to be.... idk when. Whenever I finish it. In addition to the above, chapters are likely going to be dense like this one is because we're getting to the end and a lot of things have to happen, so it depends on how stuck I get and how much time I'll have in the coming weeks.
> 
> ALSO:
> 
> THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the romance part because I was frankly very nervous about it. Mostly because I'm well aware that I've kind of deviated from the usual sort of romance in aokaga fic (which I personally enjoy! A lot! but I felt that it wouldn't have come naturally in this fic).
> 
> Thank you for the reassurances and cheering me on and the very flattering comments they all make me so happy. :)


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Rakuzan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reread this over once, but I'll be editing it again tomorrow (so yeah there might be changes, anyway)

He meets with Tatsuya a little after lunch, and a little over an hour before finals. The weather's good so they agree to talk in an outdoor basketball court near the stadium. It kind of makes Kagami feel like things are going full circle for them. Standing far enough so that they won't be able to hear anything, but near enough that Kagami can see them, are Aomine and Momoi. Their heads are close together like they're talking in whispers, and they're facing away from from the court. This is possibly, Kagami thinks, to give him some privacy. He's not sure, but he'd like to think its their way of being considerate.

He doesn't have to wait long for Tatsuya to arrive. He stands in front of him within arms reach, and looks up at Kagami impassively. _Always with the poker face_ , he thinks, _just once I wish_ _he gave something away._

“Sorry for suddenly calling you out like this,” Kagami says slowly “and for putting off this talk so long even if I said I'd call.”

More silence. Kagami takes this as his cue to continue.

"About what happened in America, I'm really sorry, but in the end I really do..." he pauses, gulps "...want things between you and me to go back to the way they were before–"

“Enough of that.”

Kagami can feel his stomach lurch painfully. Tatsuya's voice is flat, he can't tell if he was snapping at him but the timing of the interruption made it hard to believe he was doing anything else. His heart hammers so hard in his chest he can feel it all the way to his head. Tatsuya lowers his gaze _._ Kagami doesn't really know how to act now that it might really be over.

“I'm the one who should be apologizing.” Tatsuya says, voice tight “I'm sorry for everything Taiga.” it takes a while for the words to register, before Kagami can bring himself to believe what he's hearing.

"We'll play again." Tatsuya continues, and then, with more determination "No, I _**want**_ to play again. As enemies," he raises his head "and as brothers."

His breath is caught in his throat. Kagami finds himself momentarily mute.

"I talked to Alex," Tatsuya says "even though I didn't want to hear it, I understood, I was the one at fault. I was selfish, and that caused you a lot of pain Taiga. I'm really sorry."

"Tatsuya..." is all Kagami manages to say in reply.

"I'll be there to cheer you on," Tatsuya flicks the ring hanging from his own neck "so good luck in the finals." he smiles, and then in English says "Let me see you become the number one player."

Slowly, Kagami smiles “Of course.” he says, also in English.

Tatsuya holds his gaze for a moment, then lets out an amused huff. “You should get back to your girlfriend then, she's obviously worried.”

A beat passes, as Kagami's eyebrows furrow in confusion “Girlfriend?”

“I can see your team's manager from here you know. She must be awfully worried about you to come along.”

For the second time in a few minutes, Kagami can't believe what he's hearing “She's not my girlfriend!” he laughs “But yeah she probably is worried,” he shrugs, smiling slightly “we're friends.”

Tatsuya raises an eyebrow at him “Alright then,” he peers over Kagami's shoulder “the other one, is that Aomine Daiki?”

Kagami turns to look at Aomine and Momoi, who don't seem to be talking anymore. Momoi looks back once, but hurriedly looks away when she sees them looking. “Ah, yeah.” he palms the back of his neck “They stayed over at my place last night.”

“I see.” Tatsuya hums thoughtfully “You did always have a type I suppose.”

“ _ **What!?**_ _ **I**_ _ **–**_ ” _God_ , he hopes he's not blushing “– why on earth would you say that!?”

“I've known you long enough that I can tell Taiga.” he says, patting his shoulder and walking past him.

Kagami stands there stunned, before turning around to catch up with Tatsuya “I don't ever remember having a type.”

“Guys who smell like strength,” Tatsuya says, without looking at him “stable dependable people. That's your type.”

“Clearly you don't know Aomine,” Kagami scoffs “he's not what I'd call stable and dependable.”

Tatsuya stops walking and turns to him “So you don't one hundred percent trust his judgment in basketball?”

“That's different!”

“It isn't really,” Tatsuya says “not for you, not for _**us**_ , and certainly not for _**him**_ either.” he smiles, and its a tiny one, involuntary probably, one that tells Kagami he's thinking about something or someone else. Kagami doesn't really have a rebuttal for his words, he knows it's sort of true anyway. Neither of them say anything for a moment.

“You should get back to them.” Tatsuya says, breaking the silence “I'm meeting my teammates.” his smile is wider now “Make me proud.”

Kagami grins back “Count on it.”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

“What do you think they're saying Dai-chan? Kagami-kun looks distressed,” Satsuki says in a stage whisper “I'm worried.”

Aomine sighs.

“Satsuki,” he clicks his tongue “thought you said we should look away and give them some privacy.”

“Shush, I know I did but I want to be able to intervene if it looks like Himuro-san is being mean to him.”

“This isn't a playground fight you know, we're not kids.”

“It's funny that you of all people think we're all so grown up.” Satsuki huffs “But even if we are grown up like you think, everyone needs help sometimes Dai-chan.”

“Yeah but–” he sighs “I just think Taiga wants to do this on his own. Not sure we should even be here to be honest.”

Satsuki presses her mouth into a thin line before saying “I guess I see what you mean, I'm still worried though.”

Aomine snorts “Yeah well, I think that's why he brought us along. That, and how we slept over at his place.”

“Yes well –” she looks back again, then hurriedly snaps her head back forward “They're looking this way!” she squeaks.

“Really.” Aomine says dryly. He's pretty sure that means they're talking about them, or just Satsuki, or, more likely, just him. Aomine doesn't really care what Himuro has to say about him, but he wonders if Taiga's agreeing to it or not. There's no way they're talking about the embarrassment that was last night at least.

 _God I hope they aren't,_ he thinks, with a grimace.

“Are they still looking?” Satsuki asks.

“Don't know, better if we don't look.”

They stand there for a tense few minutes, both of them staring at their feet and kicking half-heartedly at sticks and pebbles. The unmistakeable sound of footsteps headed their way make them both turn, nearly bumping each other in the process.

Taiga jogs up to them, flushed and grinning. “I've settled my drama.” he says, when he's near enough that they can hear him without him having to shout.

“That's great Kagami-kun!” Satsuki exclaims, too enthusiastically in Aomine's opinion.

“Yeah its–” Taiga chuckles like he can't help himself “Yeah it is.”

He looks so happy that Aomine feels kind of happy too, a little annoyed about what's causing all the smiles, but mostly, he's glad.

“Ready to win then?” Aomine asks.

Kagami turns his bright smile at him, and Aomine swallows. “Always.”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

Imayoshi doesn't give any big speeches. It's not that Kagami expected one from him, but it feels a bit weird that they're not having a pep talk right before the last game of the Winter Cup, the game that could make them Champions. Then again, it goes without saying that everyone in Touou is going to go all out, so in the end, who needs speeches or pep talks. That's never been their team's thing anyway.

“Taiga,” Aomine approaches him, voice hushed “think you could go into the zone in the first quarter?”

“Sure,” he says, without missing a beat, he'd planned to do it anyway “what about you?”

“Let's give it time.” Aomine says, “See what Akashi does.”

“Treating yourself like a secret weapon again huh?”

“If you're so annoyed you could just not do it you know,” Aomine frowns “but, it'll probably be for the better if you do.”

Kagami nods. Momoi's data was clear, they can't afford to take it easy against Rakuzan. One of them going into the zone is a safe choice, it's still too risky for both of them to be in the zone. He's pretty sure neither of them can be in the zone for all four quarters for one thing, but more importantly, they need to avoid the situation they were in against Yosen where Aomine was about to run on empty just as Murasakibara entered the zone.

“You should also probably stand back and shut up when Akashi talks to me.”

“What? Why?”

Aomine looks at him like he's stupid “He almost stabbed you?”

Kagami grunts “I doubt he'd try to do that again in front of an entire stadium of people.”

“There are other ways to hurt you.” Aomine squeezes his shoulder “Don't risk it.”

His gaze is steady. Kagami can tell he's genuinely concerned which moves him enough to nod mutely. Aomine gives his shoulder another squeeze and lets out a satisfied huff. He moves his hand down, runs it down Kagami's upper arm until he's gripping his elbow, his gaze not leaving Kagami's face. Aomine opens his mouth to say something else, but Coach's voice interrupts him and the both have to turn away to stand at attention.

 _What was he going to say_ , Kagami wonders, stealing a look at Aomine's profile.

“I trust I don't need to tell any of you what to do,” Coach says “this is the last game of the Winter Cup; for some of you, it's your last game as students of Touou. So make it count.” he pauses, scanning the faces in the room “Let's head out.”

 _That was nearly a pep talk,_ Kagami snorts, _but he basically told us to do our best for ourselves, guess that's Touou for you_.

Everyone would laugh at him if he ever said it out loud, but Kagami might be doing this a little bit for his seniors. For Susa who hasn't played as much as he would have in his final hear, had Kagami not joined the team. For Imayoshi who's had to deal with everyone's bullshit, and does it without even looking stressed. For all the other seniors cheering for them on the bench and in the stands, their hearts probably heavy with the knowledge that there are _**three**_ first years starting for them.

He's doing it for Sakurai and Wakamatsu, who believed in him as much as they believed in Aomine before anyone else on the team; who talked to him like he's still their equal despite that; and who he can always trust to have his back on court.

He's doing this for Momoi too. Momoi who's had to suffer through Aomine all her life. Momoi who Aomine's hurt more times than she probably shows. Momoi who's still here in Touou with him despite that. Momoi who had to watch her friends descend into a level of wrongness she couldn't do anything about and who had to watch the guy she likes drift away from her and everyone else because of it.

Maybe, he thinks, he might be doing it a little bit for Kuroko too. For that devastated look Aomine's biting words brought out that stays fresh and vivid in Kagami's mind, a look that reminded him all too much of his own feelings as he sunk onto the concrete beneath the harsh L.A. sun, cheek stinging from Tatsuya's punch.

Maybe he's also doing it for Aomine. So that the bastard gets off his high horse. So that he realizes that the world is bigger than he thought. ( _So that he'd treat Kagami as someone who's more than just another teammate)_.

But definitely, he's also doing this for himself. _So that Tatsuya will be proud of me_ , he thinks, _so that I can make the last game of the year count._

The starters enter the court amidst deafening cheers and an announcer shouting their names. It's hilarious, Kagami thinks, that he gets introduced both as a small forward and one half of “Touou's twin power forwards”.

Imayoshi and Akashi wordlessly shake hands, both of them look like they're not really into it. Kagami stands to Aomine's left, slightly behind him as promised.

“So it is as everyone expected,” Akashi says, approaching them “the final match is between the two of us Daiki.”

Aomine holds his gaze, expression disinterested. “Yeah, guess it is.”

Kagami doesn't stick around for the rest of the conversation. If he has to hear more haughty bullshit he might just break his promise. He approaches Wakamatsu instead.

“Senpai,” he starts, causing Wakamatsu to turn to him “would you mind if I take the jump ball?”

Wakamatsu regards him thoughtfully then asks “Have you cleared this with Coach?”

“Well,” Kagami clears his throat “no.”

“I don't mind, but you should ask first. I mean we need a strong start, you've got the height advantage sure, but I've got more experience with the timing.”

“Actually Aomine told me to do it,” sort of “it'll be worth it, please trust me.”

Wakamatsu frowns “Well,” he says “I trust you then.” Kagami wonders if Wakamatsu's upset that he finds Aomine's opinion convincing.

Rakuzan's center is visibly surprised that he's taking the jump ball. Kagami tries not to think about the reactions of those around him. Instead he takes a deep breath and thinks about everything he's playing for. Every _ **one**_ he's playing for. He thinks of Aomine's eyes on him, the weight of his expectations. The weight of the team's expectations. The weight of his own expectations. At the sound of the whistle he jumps, riding on the mishmash of feelings surging through him.

And hovering in the air as if in slow motion, watching the ball ascend until it reaches a momentary stop, Kagami feels that familiar rush of energy, hears the loud clang of an opening metal door. Then as the ball begins its descent he grabs it and throws it where he knows Aomine will catch it.

Aomine doesn't waste a second, as if he knew Kagami would do this all along. Kagami doesn't chase after him, steps back instead for defense and watches as Aomine does what he knew he would: slam the ball into the net, rattling the hinges, scoring their first point.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

 

After the initial shock of witnessing Kagami go into the Zone so early on wore off, Momoi had assumed, and wrongly it seems, that Kagami would start playing a brutal offense. Instead, after a few exchange of words and looks with Wakamatsu, he's playing center and creating an iron wall of a defense.

It's not Touou's usual playing style. Their defense has always been decent but the team policy has always focused on offense and racking up more points than their opponents.

It's not Kagami's usual playing style either. Momoi's sure that he'd rather be doing what Aomine's doing rather than blocking shots, getting steals and giving multiple assists.

But somehow it's working. Even outside the zone Aomine's fallen into step with Kagami, leaving defense all to him and leading the offense with his usual highly creative plays, while Imayoshi and Sakurai focus on getting in as many three pointers as they can. Wakamatsu quickly adapts to the set up too, making up for whatever Kagami can't do during defense because he's only one person.

There's a frown on Akashi's face as he successfully blocks one of Aomine's advances only to find that Aomine's passing the ball behind him; to Kagami who catches it mid-jump and Meteor Jams it into their basket.

Momoi's heart jumps wildly in her chest. Her grip on her clipboard tightens. This won't last forever, she knows, this steadily widening lead is temporary. It's Akashi-kun after all, something is bound to happen.

On the other hand, she thinks, the beauty of their “twin power forwards” is in the fact that there are two of them. Akashi personally guards the bigger threat, which he would naturally think is Aomine, but that leaves Kagami, who's playing at a hundred percent, unguarded by someone competent enough to stop him. Having two people guard him is counter productive too, seeing as he's focusing on defense more anyway.

Which leaves one real option for Rakuzan.

As Momoi expected, Akashi briefly talks to Mayuzumi who only nods before setting off to mark Kagami. As Momoi _**feared**_ , even in the zone, Kagami is too inexperienced with misdirection to stop it. Rakuzan steals the ball moments after Kagami does, and then Akashi does something not even Aomine-kun expects. He dunks.

It doesn't make a difference in terms of their lead, but the team is visibly rattled by the sight, if only slightly. Kagami quickly gets over it, face shifting back to the intense concentration of the zone. Aomine bears his teeth, snarling. Momoi's sure that if she were nearer, she'd hear his growl.

She sees Imayoshi throw a concerned look her way. She nods, face tense. She turns to coach and asks for a time out.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

 

Mayuzumi gets the better of him three times before coach calls a time out. Kagami wonders if it's to disrupt the flow of the game that's starting to turn against them. Aomine places his hand in the middle of Kagami's back as they walk to the bench.

“Take a deep breath,” he says “and exit the zone as we walk to the bench.”

“Why?”

“You're sweating too much, we have to do something about this Tetsu wannabe first so conserve your energy.”

Kagami doesn't reply to that, instead he takes a deep breath as requested, takes in the chattering around him until he's distracted and relaxed enough that he leaves the zone.

They huddle in front of coach who looks at Kagami, arching an eyebrow. It's a silent question about how he's left the zone. Kagami inclines his head in Aomine's direction. Coach's gaze follows.

“What do you think Aomine-kun?” he asks, voice only loud enough to be heard in the little bubble their bodies have made around Coach's little whiteboard.

“I think Taiga and I should double team that Mayuzumi dude.” Aomine replies with no hesitation.

Kagami double takes, _Did Aomine just suggest something involving teamwork?_

Coach nods like he isn't at all surprised “And Akashi?”

“I can multitask.” Aomine shrugs, as if to say _'Don't worry about it.'_

Wakamatsu looks thoroughly unconvinced. “I'm sorry Coach but I have to say that that just sounds like a bad idea, what if _**I**_ work with Kagami instead? We can't expect Aomine to be in two places at once.”

Aomine rolls his eyes “And why can't we?”

“Are you _**seriously**_ asking that question?” Wakamatsu growls.

Coach heaves a sigh, and runs a hand through his hair.

“Well,” Imayoshi pipes in, rubbing his chin thoughtfully “we definitely have to do something about Mayuzumi, and our lead is wide enough to take a few risks. If Aomine's so confident...” he trails off.

“Captain!” Wakamatsu shouts, dismayed.

Imayoshi turns one of his sly smiles at Kagami and Aomine “If nothing else it could be _**very**_ funny.”

Kagami frowns at him “Won't be funny if we start losing Captain.”

“We're not going to lose.” Aomine stresses, sounding exasperated. “Coach and Satsuki agree with me.”

Coach turns to Momoi “Well, Momoi-san?”

“I think it's a miracle that Aomine-kun is suggesting something involving team play, so he _**must**_ be convinced it will work.” she taps her clipboard “They'll only really need to double team him during our offense, so he doesn't manage to steal the ball when we pass it. During _**Rakuzan's**_ offense, it's enough that Kagami-kun guards him as if he were a regular player, since that's what he is at any rate, setting aside the misdirection. Aomine-kun can stop the passes to Akashi-kun, everyone else should do the same with their own marks. Akashi-kun is a force to be reckoned with both during Rakuzan's offense and defense, but it's more important to have Aomine-kun focused only on him during their offense, which we will still be doing.”

“So basically?” Kagami asks.

“Basically,” she starts, just as the buzzer sounds, ending the time out “yes, I agree with Aomine-kun, let's give his plan a try.”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

 

Aomine knows that Akashi's expecting their plan, but he also knows that Satsuki would never have agreed with him if she thought Akashi's contingency plan would be particularly dangerous. It's a bit amusing actually, seeing the two of them analyze the game to the smallest details. They've only ever planned for the same team, their combined skills are part of why Teikou had been so unbeatable. Now that they're enemies, Aomine wonders who will win the battle of wits. Obviously Akashi thinks it's him, Aomine doesn't know if he's biased or just hopeful or whatever but he's putting his money on Satsuki.

Akashi has the advantage of seeing everything from a player's perspective sure, but seeing things from the outside has it's own perks. Besides, Satsuki definitely has the better chess pieces. Aomine knows he's a wild card from most people's perspectives, but he's not quite as unpredictable to Satsuki, who's known him all his life. As for Taiga, well, Aomine would like to think he knows him pretty well.

The blond from Rakuzan's openly staring at Taiga, a baffled look on his face. It's probably because Taiga's out of the zone. He can see blond dude turning to Akashi, but all Akashi does is look at Taiga like he's bored. It probably means he thinks he's ready for whatever they'll throw at them.

 _Well_ , thinks Aomine, _can't have that can we?_

“Taiga,” he says, only loud enough for the two of them to hear “when you can, try to do that dunk thing you do when you're in the zone, but then make a mistake on purpose, and do it to the right.”

“It's really sad how that made sense to me.” Taiga mutters, while nodding.

“Great. Also maybe we should both pretend we're going into the zone, skirt the edges, but never really dive in.”

“Are you...” Taiga blinks “Are you trying to play _**mind games**_?”

He sounds like he can't quite believe that Aomine's capable of using his brain. Aomine's about to take offense but the referee whistles to restart the game.

Aomine's not used to having plans, most of the time he doesn't really need them because he works alone. Even when Taiga came into the picture it always felt like they instinctively knew what to do together. But that's not what they need right now, he thinks, what they need is something that will almost definitely work but is too stupid an idea for Akashi to even consider.

There's only two minutes left in the first quarter. It's enough.

Akashi squints at him like he's trying to figure out what's running through his head. One of the several conclusions he's making right now is probably right, he might even be taking Taiga into account. Aomine's confident that none of that matters.

“It seems you've changed Daiki.” Akashi says. He's so sure of himself when he says it. Aomine feels his eyebrows twitch.

“Maybe.” he snaps back, making sure it sounds a bit like a taunt.

Aomine hears Sakurai yelp and finds that Rakuzan's shooting guard is making a shot. His eyes and body follow the ball in the air, but Akashi stops him from blocking it.

Taiga's there in an instant. Mayuzumi may be able to stop his steals but even outside the zone Taiga's leaps are superhuman. Only another Miracle could stop him. He grabs the ball two handed and tucks it against his stomach as he lands, hunching over it. Taiga barely hits the ground when he passes it to Imayoshi, who just calmly takes it and runs to the other side of the court.

Aomine sprints for the other side of the court as fast as he's able. He doesn't face the net when he gets there, he faces the half court line instead, to watch Taiga hold out his hand for the ball. He jumps from the free throw line, and starts shouting “Metoer Jam”, drawing out the 'a' in jam for what must be a regretfully long time.

It all happens, in Aomine's eyes, as if in slow motion. There's real power in Taiga's arm movements and his eyes are blazing, it's enough to fool Rakuzan's center and shooting guard into trying to block the shot. But when Taiga shoots he doesn't slam the ball forward, he turns wrist slightly at the last minute, making the ball fly to his right.

The slight turn of his wrist was Aomine's signal, even before Taiga had let go Aomine was already running, Akashi hot on his heels. The ball bounces on the floor and Aomine scoops it up not even a second after, then turns around to throw the ball as hard as he can past Akashi's head. Aomine can even see it graze his hair as he falls backwards.

Unexpectedly, the ball hits Wakamatsu in the face and bounces up and into the net. Aomine falls on his ass, and stares up at the score board wide eyed.

The basket counts.

“Aomine you bastard!” Wakamatsu shouts. Aomine can see him wipe blood away form his nose “That was my face!” (1)

He can't help it, he cackles. He's still laughing as Imayoshi helps him up and the buzzer sounds to end the first quarter. He can see, between guffaws, that Akashi is livid, but he can't seem to care about that right now.

“That was my team play formless shot.” he says to everyone at the bench, grinning. Satsuki has her face in her hands and Coach is rubbing his temples.

“I can't believe you're pretending you did that on purpose.” Taiga says. He's trying to sound admonishing but the barely suppressed grin on his face gives him away.

Aomine smirks at him “You're just bitter you're not a genius like I am Taiga.”

“Thank god for that!” Satsuki says into her hands, and then, looking up she shouts “Never try that again Dai-chan!”

“Wasn't planning to,” he shrugs “kind of a one time thing. Doubt it'd work against them again.”

“This is your...” Coach visibly struggles to say the next word “...strategy.”

“Sort of.” Aomine admits. “I've mostly been trying to think of plays Akashi would think no one would ever do.”

Imayoshi bursts out laughing and Satsuki's jaw drops. Coach just shakes his head. In the background Sakurai tells Wakamatsu he should go to the infirmary.

“It's almost brilliant you have to admit.” Imayoshi tells Satsuki.

She ignores him “Kagami-kun shouting like that, that was your doing too?”

Kagami clears his throat, face flushing “Well...” he says.

“That was Taiga's own lovely addition.” Aomine finishes for him.

“It just gets better.” Imayoshi says, shaking with suppressed laughter.

Satsuki ignores him again. “Is your plan to be as _**idiotic as possible?**_ ” she pauses, Aomine arches an eyebrows “Oh my god it is...”

“In a way it really is a good idea though,” Imayoshi insists “but we might just have awakened a beast, I think Akashi was insulted.”

“He definitely was,” Satsuki scans her notes “I think we'll see a bit of a shift in how Rakuzan plays in the second quarter, they will keep using Mayuzumi-kun against Kagami-kun I think, but Akashi-kun will probably use his Emperor Eye against Aomine-kun more. The other players will probably start going all out as well.”

Coach, who had been oddly silent until then says “I'm subbing in Susa-kun while Wakamatsu-kun is at the infirmary, I expect that he'll be in for all of the second quarter. I don't think this will make our line up weaker, as I expect Kagami-kun will continue to play center. However, Nebuya and Mibuchi will likely pose a problem.”

Satsuki nods “Yes, both Susa-san and Wakamatsu-san would have a difficult time with Nebuya-san this quarter, his physique is difficult to match. As for Mibuchi-san, it will be up to Sakurai-kun to outshine him.”

“I won't lose when it comes to three pointers.” Sakurai says resolutely, cheeks puffed.

“Hayama-kun is a bit of a problem though isn't he.” Coach runs a thumb across his lower lip.

Imayoshi sighs “I'll try to take care of it.”

Aomine can't tell if he sounds defeated to be dramatic or if he genuinely thinks he might not be able to handle Hayama. There isn't time to find out because the referee's blowing his whistle, telling them to go back onto the court. Coach gives them all a _ **look**_ before the leave the bench, and Satsuki warningly says “Don't do anything ridiculous.”

“Think Akashi's planning to go into the zone?” Taiga asks him as they walk to their marks.

Aomine snorts “That's what I'm hoping for.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) The ball to the face and into the net is a Slam Dunk reference that I've wanted to put into this fic for a long while. Early this year, I finally decided to put it in the Championships, along with a number of other silliness. As you might have noticed, much of the silliness finds its source in Aomine. This final match has a very different feel for all three POV characters. Aomine is having fun, plain and simple. Playing against Akashi and Rakuzan is complicated and difficult. Aomine enjoys being in a genuinely tough spot. He's enjoying that knowledge that he could very well lose if he and Kagami don't work together. Kagami's more emotional and passionate about this last game than Aomine is, for reasons that was greatly expounded upon above and is probably obvious from how this fic was going. Momoi is the most intense about this last game though, in part because she wants to defeat Akashi for Kuroko, and in part because she's never had to use her abilities to the fullest before. Akashi is a worthy opponent, and their Coach trusts Momoi's judgment implicitly, so there's pressure on both fronts.
> 
> \- Writing Akashi is very difficult but not for the reasons I originally thought. I realized, while writing this, that Akashi is more Kuroko-centric than any other member of the Generation of Miracles. It's true that everyone's character development in canon, is closely tied with their relationship with Kuroko and his actions, but it was pretty easy to side step that while writing them. That's not true for Akashi. Kuroko is not only important to his character development, he's integral (imo at least). So yeah it was difficult to write him in a situation that does not involve Kuroko (or Midorima) at all. 
> 
> \- So we've shifted away from the romance a bit in favor of basketball, but as Himuro implies, it's kind of the same thing as far as Kagami and Aomine are concerned. Every scene here where Aomine's being teasing and flirty is him being consciously teasing and flirty though, as opposed to their previous unconscious flirting.
> 
> \- There's a lot more I can say about my characterization and dialogue choices for Aomine, but I don't want to over share lol.
> 
> \- Also as usual, I'm not really sure what I'm talking about re: basketball, but I sure try to pretend that I do lmao.
> 
> \- I ended the chapter there so that the meat of the action in the Rakuzan match will all be in one chapter. Given that the next chapter will be pretty long I think. Since I'm on vacation until July however, I think I might update sooner rather than later. It depends on how much trouble this last match gives me lol.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than probably all of the chapters I've written so far. So I almost definitely have typos and errors because it's more likely that I missed them. Anyway, this marks the end of the basketball part of this fic, after this there's only the romance left to finish up. Somehow I'm a bit emotional now haha.

Dai-chan's plan clearly, is to goad Akashi-kun into fighting back seriously without having to go into the zone. Well, it's really more of a _**thought**_ than a _**plan**_. Momoi's not quite sure how far angering Akashi through ridiculous plays will get them, or if Dai-chan really thought this through.

As she suspected, Akashi uses his _a_ _nkle_ _b_ _reak_ on Aomine right at the beginning of the second quarter. Caught by surprise, Aomine lost his footing which allowed Akashi to get past him. He hasn't however, used this or his Emperor Eye since. Possibly, because the first one seems to have done its job: annoy Aomine, and make him more cautious. Rakuzan's subsequent real counterattack starts with two things: Nebuya's strength and Mayuzumi's misdirection.

Mayuzumi continues to mark Kagami as predicted, diverting all the passes sent Kagami's way. Ordinarily, this would lead to nothing but a stalemate, but that's where Nebuya's strength comes in. Susa-san, though more than capable of guarding someone larger than him, can only stop someone with as much physical strength as Nebuya for so long. Slowly they're hammering a crack into Touou's defense through Nebuya's rough plays. If or when he starts getting the better of Susa-san, the easy solution would to let Kagami-kun fill in the cracks, but that leaves a window of time, however short, where Aomine's liable to being double teamed by both Akashi and Mayuzumi.

It's a troubling situation. Although, Momoi wonders if it's only troubling because they're so used to crushing the enemy absolutely. Their only matches that even remotely resembled a trial by fire were the ones against Yosen. Perhaps they were confusing the novelty of a struggle with an actual sticky situation. But then perhaps, that's just her being hopeful. The easiest remedy would be for both Aomine and Kagami to go into the zone, but with Akashi's trump card still a mystery, maybe this easy option is also too risky. On the other hand, if they lose now, then Akashi's trump card wouldn't even matter.

At least they've bought time to think it over. The team has taken to passing the ball high where Mayuzumi can't reach but Kagami or Aomine can. Akashi still intercepts passes sometimes (in what Momoi is sure are supposed to be impossible physical feats for someone his size), and Kagami and Aomine are both expending more energy than usual, but it's a simple and effective method.

Imayoshi-san has yet to challenge Hayama, who seems distracted by Kagami and Aomine's tag team fast plays. Momoi's pretty sure their team captain is calculating the ways he can make being looked down on an advantage. She'll leave him to his scheming. Meanwhile, Mibuchi seems... almost endeared by Sakurai's puffy cheeks and somewhat bratty proclamations of not losing to anyone when it comes to three pointers. Momoi's not sure _**that**_ can be taken to their advantage, but she's going to count on Sakurai's single-minded determination to guard Mibuchi.

Mid-way through the second quarter finds them not quite losing, but sweating from the fact that Rakuzan's caught up enough to narrow the lead to two baskets.

And, of course, that's when Akashi makes his real move.

He changes his mark, quite abruptly, to Kagami, leaving Aomine to Nebuya, while Mayuzumi moves on to mark Susa. It's easy to see what he's trying to do, and Momoi knows it won't work, at least, not quite as well as Akashi thinks it will. Akashi, she knows, plans to put Kagami-kun “in his place”, so to speak. Clearly, he thinks he's going for the ace who he thinks has a weaker spirit. It doesn't matter that he's essentially freed up both Aomine and Susa, the pay off of this move would be better. If he shuts down one ace, he will only have to deal with the other.

But, well, Akashi doesn't really know Kagami-kun now does he.

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

Akashi's ability isn't like anything Kagami's experienced. He's in that dazed state right before he plunges into the zone, ball in his possession, when he meets not Mayuzumi's eyes but Akashi's who, in a flurry of movement, steals the ball from him. Somehow Kagami finds his legs feeling weak and he falls ass first onto the ground, sliding a few inches across the sweat slick court, wide-eyed at being overcome so easily. Akashi says something then, it barely registers before he's gone off to Rakuzan's side of the court.

“Your head is held too high.” he'd said. _What the fuck is that supposed to mean_ , Kagami wanted to reply.

A flicker of blue, black and red rushes past him, hot on Akashi's heels, followed by Rakuzan's hulking center at a much less quick pace. Despite Aomine's speedy reaction time however, it's a little too late, and Akashi narrows Touou's lead to three points.

Imayoshi holds his hand out to Kagami, who takes it to stand up.

“You ok?” Imayoshi asks.

“Yeah.” he says, absently patting his rear to get rid of dirt.

“We're winning, but it feels like we're being looked down on.” Imayoshi snorts “Truly only the Generation of Miracles.”

He doesn't wait for Kagami's reply, takes his assigned offense position instead, leaving Kagami to chew on his words.

“Taiga.” Aomine calls from his position. Kagami turns to look at him to find him crossing his arms into an 'x'. He has no idea what the heck that's supposed to mean, but Aomine nods as if he does understand what's probably a signal for _**something**_.

_Well whatever it is,_ he thinks, _it means that I should avoid doing something, which is going to be easy now that Akashi's marking me, unless I go into the zone that is._

Maybe that's it then. _Maybe_ _I_ _shouldn't go into the zone_. Personally Kagami thinks that'll just make them lose more, but he trusts Aomine's basketball sense and dedication to victory implicitly. He's got to be on to something.

_And if he isn't, well there's two quarters left._

He spends the rest of the second quarter repeatedly becoming victim to Akashi's Ankle Break and Emperor Eye. He can relate now to the frustration that was plain on Midorima's face in the video of Shuutoku and Rakuzan's semi-final.

Meanwhile, although Nebuya doesn't make it easy, Aomine is pretty much singlehandedly keeping their score afloat while Sakurai's stuck in a stalemate with Rakuzan's shooting guard and while Imayoshi and his mark are suspiciously idle.

“Why haven't you gone into the zone?” Akashi asks him, ignoring the way Aomine's zipping through their defense “You must know that it's the only way you'd have any hope against me.”

_I would also like to know why_ , Kagami thinks, but he can't exactly say that. “Too early.” he says instead.

Akashi narrows his eyes, clearly incensed by this reply, but says nothing else. His reply comes instead in successive ankle breaks. It's frustrating and humiliating to physically fall down several times and have Akashi look down on you, when you know that if you just went into the zone you might be able to do something about it.

At the same time, Kagami's a little bit afraid that even going into the zone wouldn't make things any better. And without the zone what else would he have?

As the second quarter drones on it's become increasingly clear that Rakuzan's objective is to wear them down and then crush them completely. Stopping Aomine has been set aside in favor of shutting down the rest of them first. He's sure everyone else has noticed, judging by the annoyed look on their faces. On the other hand, Imayoshiseems unworried and lost in thought, but Kagami can't decide if that's worrying or reassuring.

Finally, the second quarter ends and Touou heads to the locker room for half-time. Aomine slips his arm over Kagami's shoulders and mutters “It's probably about time now.”

He says it again once they reach the locker room, loud enough for the whole team to hear this time,arm still loosely around Kagami's neck.

Coach looks at the both of them thoughtfully “You're both planning to go into the zone.”

Aomine nods “We can probably hold off until the end even if we do it at the beginning of the third quarter.”

“That's reasonable.” Momoi says “We have a few problems though, Mibuchi-san is definitely going to be the center of their play in the next quarter, along with Akashi-kun who likely wants to go in for the kill and bury us in three pointers.”

Sakurai harrumphs in his seat. “Then we just have to do that too!”

“Just trying to out shoot them is risky,” Momoi shakes her head “it usually is, but even more so this time because that's what Rakuzan expects of us.”

“I don't think so.” Imayoshi quips “Not anymore at least, if that's what they expected of us at the outset I doubt if that's what they expect of us now that Kagami over here stubbornly refused to go into the zone even after Akashi repeatedly fried him.”

Kagami grunts “About that,” he turns to Aomine “explain to me why you told me to hold off again?”

All heads turn swiftly in Aomine's direction again.

“Explain.” Coach says, but it's more interested than stern.

“To be honest,” Aomine starts “I've had one goal since the start of the second quarter. I've told Taiga about it, but I guess it's time I warn everyone else. I want Akashi to go into the zone.” he pauses, and when no one comments, he continues “I don't want to worry about his trump cards or whatever when I go into the zone. It's just a bonus that he's both pissed off and looking down at Taiga now, makes surprise attacks easier. But,” he grunts “I feel like we need to shut all of his teammates down before Akashi would go in the zone.”

“So what are you saying?” Momoi asks, eyebrows furrowed.

“I'm saying...” he says, with an odd tinge of reluctance “... we might need a little help.”

There's a startled pause before Momoi practically jumps out of her seat to check Aomine's temperature and Imayoshi bursts into a fit of guffaws that he tries to hide (unsuccessfully) on Susa's shoulder.

What amazes Kagami most, is not the open admittance that Aomine can't possibly win this game on his own, but the way he said “we”. Was it right, Kagami wondered, to assume that this whole time Aomine's been thinking of this game in terms of the two of them against Rakuzan? Is this a new thing or has Aomine been thinking like this since Kagami first went into the zone? Did this mean a lot of the assumptions he'd been making about Aomine were no longer true? Kagami desperately wants an answer to these questions, but he knows it will have to wait.

“You want us to stop each of our own marks.” he says, pushing down the reel of questions in his mind.

“Exactly.” Aomine grins at him, which shouldn't be surprising, as Kagami now realizes he's been doing this for almost the entirety of the Winter Cup, but now that he's aware of the undisguised joy of that face he finds his heart skipping a beat. Aomine's skin feels hot on his neck.

Just then, Wakamatsu enters the room, rather loudly considering the almost complete silence, and his startled face meets their equally wide-eyed expressions.

“What?” he asks uncomfortably.

“Aomine-kun asked for our help!” Sakurai blurts out, clearly still in disbelief.

Wakamatsu's eyebrows furrow as he turns to Aomine, who denies nothing, and merely shrugs.

“Bullshit.”

Aomine smirks at him “We trust you guys.”

Wakamatsu points an accusing finger at Aomine “That sounds fake coming from you.”

“But we do trust you guys.” Kagami insists, inwardly surprised by the 'we' that just spilled out.

Wakamatsu lowers his arm, and although still frowning, he relents. “Ok.”

“Favoritism.” Aomine shakes his head “Anyway,” he throws a thumb at Wakamatsu's general direction “Let's keep this guy out for the first half of the third quarter.”

Coach nods while Wakamatsu shouts indignantly.

“Agreed. It will benefit us to have a relatively well rested player in for the last quarter,” says Coach “to outlast instead of overpower Nebuya.”

“But what about Hayama-san?” Momoi turns to Imayoshi.

“He's very arrogant,” Imayoshi says, smile creeping on his face “he hardly looks at me at all anymore.”

Momoi smiles back conspiratorially “Which is exactly the way you want it I suppose.”

“A trick like that will only work once,” Coach's brow is tense with concern “what do you plan to do once Hayama _**is**_ looking at you?”

“Go on attack more. Diverting his attention to me instead of the zone twins over here is a great advantage if I time it right. I don't need to win against him, I just need to stop him.”

“True enough,” Coach allows “but we'll need all of you to be alert just in case one of you falters.”

The grave look in everyone's faces is answer enough, and Coach tells them to file out.

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

Aomine's not stupid. He knows that Akashi has probably guessed that he and Kagami will definitely both dive right into the zone at the start of the third quarter. He also knows that Akashi's initial reply to this will only be to have the rest of his teammates go all out on offense and to continue to try and break Taiga. _Well_ , he thinks, _maybe the word 'only' is downplaying it too much_.

“Nervous?” he asks Taiga, who's taking several deep breaths.

“Of course I am.” Taiga snaps “We can't all be geniuses like you are.” he adds sarcastically.

Aomine snorts and knocks their shoulders together, before heading off to guard Akashi, whose glare is even more vicious than it was before half time. A clear sign of what's to come.

Honestly, it's exciting.

He thinks of that, the challenge to come, the need to be at a hundred percent to achieve victory. He feels his body get lighter as everything he sees becomes clearer. He can hear the referee give the ball to someone, can hear the squeak of shoes as everyone shifts a little in anticipation of the beginning of the third quarter. Just like that he knows he's in.

He glances at Taiga, who's eyes are closed in concentration. He sees his chest heave as he takes a deep breath, and when his eyes open and their gazes meet, Aomine knows, he's right in there with him.

When the game starts up again, everything is a bit of a blur, a rush of fragmented pictures. He knows that he and Taiga are scoring, and they're scoring a lot. He doesn't know what the score is. Akashi succeeds in using the ankle break on Taiga once, but Aomine was immediately right there to steal the ball from him. He and Taiga are becoming too fast for anyone else but each other. Rakuzan's three pointer barrage plan hasn't been executed, neither Touou or Rakuzan's shooting guards have touched the ball. And Mayuzumi, Aomine's known better shadows than Mayuzumi.

Taiga's about to dunk when Rakuzan's Nebuya tries to block him while shouting “muscle”. Aomine can see what Coach and Momoi were talking about with this guy's strength, but he's only one person.

“Can't be helped.” Aomine says as he jumps, placing his hand over Taiga's as they force the ball into the net.

“Didn't need your help.” Taiga mutters, once they're back on the ground.

Aomine squeezes his shoulder “Sure.”

Akashi's face has taken an eerie calm. Aomine glances at the score, so he's sure now that they're winning again. It's only by six points, but it's not as if Rakuzan's narrowing it down right now. This is obviously not what Akashi had planned for.

Aomine knows him, played under him. Akashi's the type who will strangle the life out of the opposing team until there is no way for them to win anymore. He systematically shuts his opponents down until they have neither the physical or emotional capacity to keep playing. Aomine's been a willing participant in that, and that's why it won't work on him.

And for several reasons, he doesn't think it'd work on the rest of Touou either. Two main things keep them running coherently as a team, individual pride, and trust in each other. Aomine's given them no reason to stop trusting that he'd produce a miracle, and it would take one of those same miracles to destroy this team's pride.

“I've had enough.” Akashi says suddenly. He slams the ball down as hard as he can. “Are none of you going to do anything?” he asks.

Everyone on court stands still. Akashi's not looking at anyone in particular, but it's clear from his teammates faces that they know they're being addressed.

Hayama clearly wants to say something but he's biting his lip. Mayuzumi looks like he's holding in an outburst too. The rest of Rakuzan look at their feet as if shamed.

That's apparently answer enough for Akashi.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

For all Aomine-kun's lip service of trusting the team the third quarter's largely been a two man game so far. It's very much in the spirit of Touou, Momoi thinks. There's nothing systematic about it, the way Akashi's plays tend to be. It's pure offensive power, two players at their best, running on instinct. It's every bit as mesmerizing as it was the first time.

It's as if the two of them can tell when someone's about to steal a pass, so the other is there to make up for it. One of them is always somehow ready to block, the other ready to get the rebound. When one of them can't make a shot, they make sure that the other is in a position to. It's a flawless back and forth. Almost like they can communicate telepathically.

So, it was of course, only a matter of time then before Akashi decided to go into the zone. “You're all useless,” he'd said “in this fight it seems I will have to do everything myself.”

Aomine-kun's ecstatic. Momoi knows this outcome was his goal. And, perhaps unwittingly, because he's so used to playing alone now, he too seems to have abandoned his teammates despite his original intentions. Except for Kagami-kun, none of them seem to be on his mind or even his field of vision.

It's admittedly an improvement from his whole lone ranger “the only one who can beat me is me” mindset, and it's kind of adorable how wholeheartedly he's embraced Kagami into his inner circle, but as far as this game is concerned it's a bit worrying.

She's not sure they can survive Akashi going all out.

And about a minute later she thinks, _I hate being right._ Here's Akashi-kun, who by all accounts should not be able to do this, but is still successfully out-running Aomine-kun and stopping Kagami-kun's Meteor Jam even before he jumps.

As their aces try to catch up, Susa, Imayoshi and Sakurai all try to block or at the very least stall Akashi. But Akashi proves to be too much, “Kneel.” he says, and near simultaneously the three of them find their kneels buckling. It happens so fast that before they can really react Akashi's already made the shot.

“By witnessing my glorious form,” Akashi says casually walking through them “you should realize by now that your defeat is absolute.”

Momoi bites the inside of her cheek, _this is bad_.

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

Coach calls a time out before Kagami's even fully registered what the fuck just happened. Did he _**and**_ Aomine just get beaten? Did they _**all**_ just get their asses handed to them? While they had the two of them in the zone no less?

“Taiga,” Aomine says, wiping off his sweat with a face towel “we'll have to try it.”

Kagami's confused for a moment, but he realizes he could only mean the second level of the zone “Did you realize something?” he asks “How we'll get there?”

“No,” Aomine admits “but I don't think we have a choice.”

“Well maybe you should start passing the ball to people who aren't Kagami.” Wakamatsu pipes in from where he's stretching, getting ready to be subbed in.

“Akashi would destroy you,” Aomine says, impassive “that's pointless.”

It's telling, Kagami thinks, that no one offers a rebuttal, although everyone at the bench gets a pinched look on their faces.

_In the end what makes us different from Akashi?_ Kagami lets out a breath, _Doesn't feel right._ Somehow Kagami didn't think that abandoning their teammates like Akashi did would get them anywhere. Rakuzan wasn't even guarding them properly anymore, there had to be a way to take advantage of that right?

_Not looking..._ his eyes flash at a memory. He turns toward Imayoshi beside him and in a low voice he asks “Senpai, can I ask you to do something?”

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

He needs to figure out how to open that goddamn door.

But the gatekeeper won't move, he's still fucking there. What the hell is he missing? Akashi's kicking his ass so this match is obviously challenging, and he's as focused as he can be. So what is it? What is he not doing?

He can't tell if Taiga is any closer to an answer than he is. He doesn't seem to be doing anything different, in fact his plays are still exactly the same as before the time out. _**Exactly the same.**_ As if they didn't get their asses kicked.

_What is Taiga playing at._

He places himself near enough to receive a pass from Taiga easily. Akashi's guarding him by the half court line. Taiga seems to be considering his options.

For the first time in this whole game he's not sure what Taiga's thinking.

It's weird how disorienting it is. The reality that they could lose is pressing hard on them, and it's now of all times that Taiga's unreadable to him.

Taiga doesn't shoot or attempt to dunk. Instead he runs straight for Aomine. His gaze is locked on him, pinning him in place. When they're about a foot apart Taiga moves to pass the ball, and Aomine lifts his arms to receive it.

Suddenly, Akashi's right there between them. But the ball, Aomine realizes a split second later, no longer is. Instead Aomine spots it in Imayoshi's hands as he aims for a three.

Akashi's already moving again to block it. But Taiga reacts quickly, and Aomine helps him double team him.

Imayoshi makes the shot.

Aomine can hear the crowd roaring. Taiga and Imayoshi pat each other on the back while Wakamatsu shouts in congratulations like an idiot. The buzzer signals the end of the third quarter.

Rakuzan seems in shock.

“You...” Akashi starts, it's a dangerous tone Aomine can't say he's familiar with, he's walking past his teammates without even looking at them “During defense, keep an eye out for three pointers. Even you guys should be able to do that much.”

Mibuchi's face is pained “How cruel..." he says, just as Hayama mutter's Akashi's name breathlessly.

Akashi stops to look back, "I have no other expectations for you.” he snaps “If you can't handle it, then I'll do that myself as well."

It's cruel definitely, but Aomine didn't expect anything less from Akashi, especially when his mind is obviously reeling from the play Taiga and Imayoshi just did.

It's counter-intuitive for someone in the zone to depend on someone else. It was only ever easy with Taiga because they were both in the zone. This is different. Somehow neither he nor Akashi noticed Kagami passing it to Imayoshi.

“What the hell did you do?” He asks Taiga once they get to the bench “I didn't even fucking see it.”

“Well,” he takes a seat “I figured Akashi was using his Emperor Eye mostly on us.” he chugs down some water, swallows.

Aomine has his fists on his hips frowning, impatient. “So what?” he snaps.

“So he wasn't using his Emperor Eye on _**me**_.” says Imayoshi “Kagami asked me to steal the ball from him if he ever ran toward you.”

“I didn't know when he'd do it. It was still his choice if he'd do it and when he'd do it, which is the only reason it worked. I was going to do something completely different, and that's probably what Akashi foresaw or whatever.”

“And since Hayama-kun wasn't even looking at me anymore...” Imayoshi sing-songs “well, you saw the result.”

“That wouldn't have worked if we didn't double team him.”

“Yeah well,” Taiga smirks up at him “that's why it had to be done when we were both close enough to double team him.”

Aomine stares at him a moment, before smirking back. “Heh, not bad.”

“Not bad at all!” Momoi quips “In fact it's given me an idea. Akashi-kun's advantage isn't his physical ability, it's the Emperor Eye, it's the fact that he knows what you'll do before you do it. We got around it this time because he wasn't paying attention to our other teammates because you two weren't, but that won't work on Akashi-kun anymore.”

“Did shake him though.” Aomine feels compelled to add “A mistake is a mistake.”

“Right, but this time let's not just take advantage of Rakuzan's mistake, let's beat them, let's beat Akashi-kun, _**completely.**_ ”

“You're still not saying how.”

“Simple!” she's visibly excited “You fight the Emperor Eye with an Emperor Eye.”

Taiga frowns “None of us have the Emperor Eye.”

“No, but you and Aomine-kun, when you're in the zone, you instinctively know what the other will do. That's one of the reasons why we've been able to maintain our small lead, even after everything Akashi-kun's done. But what you two have been doing essentially, is just being hyper aware of each other, picking up each other's slack and helping each other by not letting Akashi-kun stop the other's plays. What we need now, is for you two to go a step further, and work as a unit. If one of you stays behind the other, you can counter Akashi-kun's counter attack to the move you _**know**_ the other would perform.”

It's a good plan. It's good, but – “I couldn't predict Taiga at the end of the third quarter.” Aomine admits “I didn't know what the fuck he was planning at all.”

Momoi gapes at him then turns to Taiga, who shrugs “I could still tell what he'd do. I should be the one at the back then.”

“That's –” Momoi deflates a little “it's more than enough, not as... _**invincible**_ , as the two of you being able to switch with each other, but, yes, more than enough. Maybe this will work out better, Aomine-kun will need to stop thinking of Kagami-kun altogether, play like you would without him. But Kagami-kun, you have to concentrate intently on both Aomine-kun and Akashi-kun.”

Both of them nod.

“Aomine-kun,” Coach starts, making them turn to him “when did you start being unable to read Kagami-kun?”

“After the time out where Wakamatsu was subbed in.”

Coach nods “And Kagami-kun, when did you talk to Imayoshi-kun about this play of yours.”

“Uh, that same time out.”

Coach nods again “Right.” he turns back to Aomine “It's because you're not a team player.”

“What?”

“That's why you can't read him,” Coach continues “when he started thinking about plays beyond just things he could do with you, plays you would never take into account instinctively, you couldn't predict him.”

He's about to say something highly inappropriate, but he clamps his mouth shut instead. _I'm being a team player,_ he thinks indignantly, _didn't I say I trusted them?_

Before anyone can say anything more, they're called to the court for the fourth quarter. Aomine takes a deep breath and expels all thoughts that aren't basketball from his mind.

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

The plan works better than expected. As a side effect of Imayoshi's last three pointer, Rakuzan is guarding Imayoshi, Sakurai and Wakamatsu more closely. The three aces, still moving too fast for everyone else, are left to their own devices.

Kagami stays behind Aomine, as they'd planned, which, much to Akashi's shock, allows them to steal the ball from him while making it look easy.

Aomine chases after the runaway ball and does a lay up. Though Nebuya attempts to block it, Aomine's still scores.

Akashi's eyes are blazing when he tries to get past Aomine and Kagami again, only to find himself overpowered a second time.

Aomine moves to dunk.

Akashi's there in an instant and makes a desperate attempt to block it. But just as Aomine had done earlier, Kagami places his hand over Aomine's and together they forcibly push the ball into the net.

This time, it is Akashi who finds himself on the floor, staring up at Touou's two aces. The look on his face is indescribable.

Momoi overhears the player closest to her, Mibuchi-san, mutter “Is this a joke...”

She can understand the sentiment. Momoi hasn't ever seen Akashi defeated like this, not since that fateful one-on-one with Murasakibara-kun. This might be, she realizes, the first time he's tasted defeat since he was born.

It's all downhill from there for Rakuzan. Visibly shaken, Akashi begins to miss shots. It's plain to see that emotionally, he's a mess. It's left him distracted, which Kagami and Aomine easily take to their advantage. Their six point lead becomes eight points, then ten.

Showing just how distracted he is, Akashi's time in the zone even expires while Kagami and Aomine are still in it. Ten points become twelve.

Momoi feels a little sorry for them, but who knew Akashi-kun was so fragile. Rakuzan is a mess. Even after Akashi seems to have decided to stop doing everything on his own, passing to his teammates again, his bad passes and startlingly sluggish pace makes it harder for his teammates to really do anything useful. They've completely lost their rhythm.

Nebuya loses it after another half-hearted pass, grabbing the front of Akashi's jersey, nearly lifting him. "Are you kidding me!?" he shouts "Kids can intercept those passes! You think we can win at this rate!?"

Rakuzan calls a time out.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

“Something's happening at Rakuzan's bench.” Aomine says, glaring at the other side of the court. Looking in the same direction, Kagami can see what he means.

They're all looking at Akashi in shock, but it's not the mix of shock and anger his fragile state had inspired on court. This is different. Something new has happened.

“Guess we should be on guard.” he knows it's stating the obvious, but Aomine doesn't tease him for it like he usually would. He must be having the same bad gut feeling.

When the time-out's over they're proven right.

Kagami feels a chill immediately. Something was clearly different about Akashi. Even though the suffocating aura of the Akashi they'd been playing against till now had been dissipating, he could now sense a threatening degree of perfection from him (1).

He shakes his head, he needs to focus, if he doesn't use all his senses there's no way they'd beat Akashi.

“It's been a while hasn't it?” Akashi says once he's in front of them. Aomine's so startled he practically goes rigid.

“You're...” he trails of, unable to finish his own sentence.

It clicks for Kagami then, his sense of dread increasing.

This is the old Akashi.

He surges forward, and though still rattled Aomine has enough presence of mind to attempt to block him. Kagami tries to steal the ball as he previously had, but finds Akashi passing it instead. Their eyes meet, and Akashi smiles at him. Really smiles. With those kind eyes he only heard about from Momoi's stories. It's completely surreal.

Mibuchi receives the pass, and he too seems surprised, but with ease, he makes the most elegant shot Kagami's seen from him this entire game. Sakurai, who would normally be huffing about because of something like this, looks somewhere between awed and horrified.

“That was a beautiful shot,” he hears Akashi say “well done Mibuchi.”

It's clear that nobody present was expecting it.

Akashi then approaches Aomine and says “I guess it isn't surprising you'd be the one I'm meeting here Aomine. Although I did hope it would be...” he trails off, shakes his head “Nevermind, as thanks to you and your team, I won't be holding anything back.”

Akashi walks away then to talk with his teammates, leaving Aomine staring at his feet. Kagami hears him chuckle wryly.

“Oh, this is really something.” he says “Taiga you still breathing?”

“Of course.” he replies quickly “Do you know what he might do?”

Aomine snorts “Just that we won't like it.”

The chill Kagami had felt at the beginning of the game grows worse. He's not sure why. It's not as if these perfect passes of this Akashi are anything truly game changing. After all there are still two of them in the zone.

They decide to keep on with their previous tactic. Aomine guards Akashi as Kagami stations himself behind him.

“You were lucky to find someone you were so compatible with Aomine.” Akashi says. There's something about the look in his eyes that has Kagami apprehensive, it takes a second to realize that Akashi is in the zone. “On my own,” Akashi continues “I wouldn't have been able to defeat you both. However, with the other four, it's an entirely different matter.”

_The other_ – “Holy shit.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Aomine says, and Kagami has never agreed with him more. All five of Rakuzan's players are in the zone. It's just unheard of.

It's just as Momoi feared. And they don't have a counterattack.

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

“This is bullshit” plays like a mantra in Aomine's mind because he just can't believe that this is happening to him. How is this happening. How did Akashi do this.

Not only does Mibuchi keep making threes now but Hayama's able to, in his words “get them back for earlier” with that stupid dribbling thing of his and agh – Aomine can't believe this is happening. He can't even think of a way to win. It's never happened to him. He can feel himself slipping out of the zone. He's exhausted. This is the worst.

Coach calls a time out after Hayama passes Taiga again. And Aomine almost wants to throw himself at the bench.

“Is it me,” Wakamatsu grunts “or are all of them playing even better than before?”

“He's a monster,” Imayoshi says with a grimace “his passes are so perfect everyone on his team's playing better. He's using his Emperor Eye to improve his teammates.” he shudders “Scary.”

It's bad. It's really bad. Their lead's down to one measly point. They could really lose this and Aomine couldn't do a single fucking thing. It's a terrible feeling, but absurdly, he almost feels relieved, like a voice inside him is saying _finally_ , _so this is what defeat feels like._

“Why do you all sound like you're giving up?” Taiga growls “Screw that.”

“Do you have a plan?” Imayoshi asks, in a way that made it clear he sincerely doubted Taiga had one.

“I don't.” he says “I don't, but I know we can't keep going on like this. Aomine and I can't –” he stops, eyes widening “that's it.” he turns to Aomine and grabs his wrist abruptly “Do you trust me?” he asks earnestly. He's not in the zone anymore, but his eyes are warm and Aomine can feel something pierce his chest.

“Of course I do.” he says firmly.

Taiga nods “Do you trust our teammates?”

“Of course I do.” he repeats, just as firmly.

“Then work with us,” Taiga tightens his grip on his wrist “not just me. Work with everyone. You've been playing with them almost daily for a while now. You said it yourself, you won our bet because of it. You know how they play, maybe you don't think about it, but you know it.”

Taiga's always insisted on team play, but he's never promoted it to Aomine's face quite this passionately, and in the middle of a game no less “What are you getting at?”

“That's how you get into the second level of the zone,” he says, with full confidence “think back to both times we dunked together. Didn't you _**feel**_ something? Think back to every time we were so in sync we didn't even need to think anymore to work together. Wasn't it different? Wasn't it different from going into the zone alone?”

Aomine nods. There's truth to everything Kagami's saying.

“So this time, work with all of us. Put that trust you say you have to good use.”

There's quiet then. As everyone seems to expectantly wait for Aomine's answer.

“Alright,” he says finally “have it your way.”

Taiga beams at him, it's bright, and dazzling, and Aomine wouldn't mind laying down his life just to see it a second time. Just like that, he feels as if the door to the second level is creaking open. That, he guesses, is his real answer right there.

“Just one thing,” Imayoshi says, and they both turn to look at him “what exactly do _**we**_ need to do?”

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

Touou's not a team that loves team work. Because of that, they've never been particularly chummy with each other. Sure, Kagami-kun's become friends with Sakurai-kun and Dai-chan, and Imayoshi-san seems close with Susa-san, and there are definitely several more people who hang out outside of practice, but Touou was never a big family the way other teams seemed to be. That's just not who they are, not who their players are.

But they do trust each other.

And trust is, much to Momoi's own surprise, exactly what they need right now. Synchronizing the movements of his teammates instantly, with nothing more than eye contact. Kagami's words made their coordination as fast as the speed of his and Aomine's zone.

It's like they're all one, body and soul.

The effect is a vastly improved version of Aomine and Kagami's speedy tag team plays. With all five of them coordinating more possibilities have opened, and it shows.

Even better, all the measures they'd taken earlier are paying off. Nebuya's spent the whole game trying to block Kagami, Aomine and anyone from Touou who attempted to make a shot from the inside. On top of that, the reason why he was able to go for blocks so repeatedly is that he powered his way through Susa-san and Wakamastsu-san. Strong as he may be, even Nebuya's stamina has limits. And it's beginning to show as he struggles against Wakamatsu who was able to rest for more than one quarter.

Imayoshi-san is benefiting from Hayama's hot head. Hayama's watching him like a hawk now, no doubt because of what his blunder of not watching him before caused. And Imayoshi calmly steers them away from the main action during Rakuzan's offense, carefully making sure that Rakuzan's scoring opportunities are limited mostly to Mibuchi's three pointers.

It's lucky then, that they have the natural enemy of shooting guards on their team. Kagami-kun blocked a good two thirds of Mibuchi's shots, and provided multiple screens so that Sakurai could make his own shots to match Mibuchi's.

And then of course, there's Aomine-kun, who has, surprisingly, gained more from the second level than even Kagami-kun. His movement is freer, his shots are made from odder angles and get more creative by the minute. Rakuzan can't cope.

Team play isn't Touou's style, but watching them now, moving like clockwork, steadily defending their lead, Momoi thinks that maybe it should be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) This line, and several others in this chapter, are pulled from canon, which is why it's a bit unlike how I usually write.
> 
> \+ I'll try to finish the next chapter as soon as I can, expect it mid or late June.
> 
> \+ Phew, alright, so that's the end of the basketball part of this story. In the next chapter, in which they celebrate their win, some interesting things will happen. BUT before that. I have a lot I want to say and explain about this chapter. You can skip this, but this is the one chapter I felt I really needed to explain. You can choose not to read what comes after this though, it won't affect your appreciation or understanding of future chapters. But if you have questions about the choices I made for this chapter, I will probably have them all answered here. (what I typed up ended up being too long for the End Notes here on ao3, so, here's a link to the [ TUMBLR VERSION ](http://naniwakitty.tumblr.com/post/145341962609/invincible-tououaokaga-55) of this chapter, which has my full long End Notes haha)


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine tends to think about a lot of things and then not think at times when he probably should have been thinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only reread this only once and it was really quickly *head in hands* but it's so late so here it is I'm sorry.

For what seemed like so long, winning felt like a trap. It was something he wanted, but also something he hated. It meant that there wasn't really a point to basketball because no one was better than him. It meant continuing to play was pretty much useless. It meant taking another step closer to giving up something he loved. It was like falling into a black hole, and there was no escape from it.

But Aomine doesn't feel trapped right now, and it's... strange, in a word. He feels lighter, warmer. He knows he's probably felt like this before but somehow this feels new. He scans the court for Taiga, spotting him ruffling the hair of Sakurai who's uncharacteristically shouting for joy. His feet move before his mind consciously tells them to, heading for his direction, but once there's only Sakurai between them Wakamatsu manages to pull them all into a crushing group hug that soon becomes a clump of screaming teenagers as people from their bench flock to them to join in on the madness. Imayoshi stands away from chaos but his smile is genuine as he shakes his head at them.

A referee blows his whistle, breaking up their celebration to have the players line up and pay their respects to their opponents.

“That was something else.” Taiga says, as the court clears out. He doesn't need to say more for Aomine to know that he means the second tier of the zone and not their wild group hug. Taiga's grin is wide but his expression is also disbelieving, like he can't quite grasp what they'd achieved. Aomine can relate.

After the referee formally announces the games results and both teams have shouted their thank yous; Akashi shakes his hand, tears welling up in his eyes, and says “Congratulations” like he means it. He doesn't say more than that, although the press of his lips makes Aomine think that maybe he wants to.

So when their handshake ends he says what feels right, “Next year will be even better”.

Akashi's eyes widen a fraction before he lets out an amused huff “Yes I suppose it will be.” He regards Aomine for a moment, then moves on to shake hands with the rest of Touou.

He's not particularly interested in talking to the rest of Rakuzan, so he hangs back and lets Imayoshi and Wakamatsu do most of the hand-shaking. Taiga seems to have done the same, but Nebuya approaches him and says “You two are monsters.” He says it in a friendly way, but there's an obvious hint of resentment.

Taiga laughs “Maybe, but you five were practically Godzilla together.”

Nebuya laughs then too, sincere and booming. He claps Taiga on the shoulder “Good game.” he says “Next year we'll be the ones taking home the trophy though.”

“You can try.” Taiga snorts. Nebuya just shakes his head at him, then pats his shoulder one more time before falling back with the rest of Rakuzan.

“Stop staring.” says Taiga, and it takes Aomine a second to realize he was talking to him.

He turns his head away quickly “I'm not staring.” Not anymore at least.

Taiga snorts again and says “Sure.” before heading back to their bench.

Satsuki is bouncing in place practically vibrating with excitement. Tears fall freely down her cheeks and she immediately embraces Taiga once he's in reach, paying no mind at all to how he's dripping in sweat.

Taiga complains about her hold being too tight but he settles a hand on her back and doesn't even squirm. Aomine can see some of their other teammates looking back and forth between himself and the two of them, and rolls his eyes at what he's sure everyone's thinking: that Taiga and Satsuki were a thing, and that Aomine was either being cheated on or dumped. Either way they seemed afraid of his reaction. (1)

So he wraps his arms around their waists and grins down at Satsuki who lets out a choked laugh in response. Then he turns to Taiga who's – much too close.

Taiga goes from beaming to slack mouthed the instant their eyes lock. There's barely two inches between their faces. Aomine tries to say something but he can't seem to think of anything other that how he can feel Taiga's breath on his skin.

Satsuki saves them from further embarrassment when she squirms in place so _**she**_ can be the one wrapping her arms around them. Aomine looks back down at her and finds her sobbing into the space between them.

“I'm so happy for you.” she mutters, so softly that Aomine suspects she might not have intended for anyone to hear it. He wonders if she means him, or Taiga, or the whole team. Probably all of the above. Probably she was glad for the whole team but particularly ecstatic for him and Taiga.

Why she's so moved by them winning when she was with a team that was thrice a champion is easy to see. Touou did things that Teikou had never considered. Aomine had done things that he may have never considered either had he not met Taiga.

It feels as if he's entered an entirely new stage of his life and Satsuki's compensating for the numb awe he's experiencing by being emotional on his behalf.

“People are staring,” Taiga says, not unkindly “there's still the awarding ceremony, c'mon.”

Satsuki nods, releases them both to rub the tears from her eyes. “Right,” she says “and Imayoshi-san is still going to announce the new captain and vice-captain.” she does a guts pose with two fists “Then, we celebrate!”

Taiga laughs, his face flushed and gleaming with sweat. Some of his hair is sticking to his forehead, and he looks as exhausted as Aomine feels.

“As long as it's not at my house.” Taiga says teasingly. Satsuki pouts.

The awarding ceremony doesn't drag on too long. They present the team with the trophy, which Imayoshi receives on their behalf, and all the regulars get medals. Wakamatsu is especially noisy during the picture taking but everyone looks happy. Judging by the loud cheers and applause, a large portion of the crowd is really excited about their win too.

They bow to the Touou players up in the stands in thanks, then they grab their things from the bench and trail at the back of the line of Touou students filing into the dug out. In their locker room Coach congratulates them on the win and everyone cheers until Aomine thinks his ears might bleed. After the noise dies down Coach calls Imayoshi to stand beside him.

“I've talked about this with Coach, Susa and the other third years,” he starts “everyone had the same person in mind for the team's new captain. Today proved that this team is going too have to change to win, in how you train, in how you play, in how you interact with each other on the court. I thought you'd need someone who's fit to lead you in this new direction, so it's been decided that Wakamatsu will be the new captain.”

The only person who seems genuinely surprised by the announcement is Wakamatsu himself. “But captain,” he says “not everyone will listen to me.”

“You'll do fine.” Imayoshi replies, without hesitation “And besides, we're making Kagami Vice-Captain.”

 _ **That**_ raises a few eyebrows. Aomine can see second years looking back and forth between each other as if unsure of how they should react to being passed over. Meanwhile Taiga's eyes look like they're bugging out of their sockets.

“Wh-why me?” he blurts out.

“The future of this team depends on you and Aomine in a lot of ways. It makes sense. Besides,” Imayoshi smirks “I'm not sure anyone else can handle Aomine duty.”

“That better had not been an insult.” Aomine grunts.

“Of course not,” says Imayoshi “I was complimenting Kagami.”

“So you were insulting _**me**_ then?”

“I was only stating facts.”

Taiga snorts “And he's right.”

“I am.” Imayoshi nods “So if there aren't anymore objections...” he trails off and looks around. Once he's assured that no one else has questions he says “let's head back.”

They're rowdier than they usually are inside the bus, but they're almost too subdued considering they're national champions now. Maybe it's just that Aomine's own growing jumble of feelings are dwarfing theirs. Maybe it's the fact that only six people in this bus actually played, so everyone else's happiness is understandably less overwhelming.

It's not that he actually cares. It's just... new, for the lack of a better way to put it, so he can't help but take notice. In Teikou they didn't really celebrate. That they'd win was sort of a given, just another day in the life. Everyone from the first to third string thought that way, and those who never got to play in a game in their three years on the team took pride in just being able to say they're from Teikou, but they had no illusions that they'd become starters.

Right now, the look in these first and second years' faces says “next year”. They're happy they're part of a champion school, but they actually have ambition to be a part of that victory. Aomine's not sure how to feel about that, and it won't really affect him in any real way in the long run, but this post-championship atmosphere is what really drives home how much things have changed since Teikou.

 _In more ways then one,_ he thinks, with a bit of amusement.

He looks at Taiga who's dozing off beside him, head bumping into the window once or twice. He doesn't really think about what he's doing when he extends his arm to pull Taiga's head to his shoulder. Taiga, who was apparently not actually asleep but only just falling into it, stares up at him in shock.

Taking it back now would be even more embarrassing, so he says “Just sleep,” while trying his best not to make it sound like a big deal.

It kind of _**is**_ a big deal though, and he's pretty sure they both know that. He doesn't think anyone else would bat an eyelash at what they're doing, after all he'd been locked in a pretty intimate hug with Taiga and Satsuki in front of an entire stadium of people. But this? This is different. This is something people who are really comfortable with each other do. This is the classic cheesy romance scenario where one party lovingly looks at the sleeping face of the other. This feels intimate in a way that hug didn't. It feels intimate in the way their faces had been close during the hug.

Or maybe Aomine is overthinking everything. Maybe he's just overly conscious of Taiga because, frankly, he really wants to kiss him right now.

Taiga's body is stiff as he looks up at Aomine, searching his eyes for god knows what before finally relaxing and resting his cheek on Aomine's shoulder. It's not long before he finally falls asleep. Aomine lifts his hand from Taiga's head but is then faced with dilemma of not really knowing where to put it. Squirming to place it back on his side would wake Taiga up, and putting it on Taiga's waist seems too... it's a lot of things that Aomine doesn't want to think about in a bus full of other people.

He tries lowering it in the space behind Taiga's back, slowly moving it down to the seat. It's not until he gets his hand there and it's too late to take it out that he realizes he's put his hand right at Taiga's ass.

 _Well at least no one can tell,_ he thinks, discretely scanning the rest of the bus. He looks at Taiga one more time before closing his own eyes. _Small comfort._

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

If Momoi hadn't watched Aomine trip over himself in front of his crushes in elementary school, she might have never noticed.

Well, if she's going to be honest with herself, if she hadn't seen the two of them look at each other up close in a way that gave her the feeling that they wanted to lean into each other (audience be damned), she would have never have interpreted Dai-chan's impulsive move in the bus correctly.

She takes pride in her woman's intuition, so it's a bit embarrassing that it takes having it almost literally smacked right at her face before she gets it. She'd tried to shift her arm in a way that would bring them closer but all she succeeded doing was destroying the moment. It was for the best maybe, considering how relieved they'd both looked afterward.

She wonders if she should have a talk with either of them, but she would rather not meddle too much in something so delicate. She thinks it must be pretty new too, since both of them don't seem to have any idea what to do about it. Then again, they can both be huge idiots. They could be so wrapped up in their own feelings they're completely misreading or missing the other's feelings.

Maybe she should consult Alex-san.

The rest of team is much noisier on the way back to Touou than what she's used too, but if Coach isn't scolding them she doesn't really mind either. They're gushing about the match, some of them are even talking about next year, and a few of them even brazenly proclaim that they'll definitely become a starter once the next inter-high rolls around. It will be an interesting few months for sure, seeing as there's only one out of five spots left.

Their “twin power forwards” are pretty much a given, so is brand new Captain Wakamatsu, and, unless someone new comes in, there's currently no one on the team who can compete with Sakurai-kun as a shooting guard. That leaves the key position of point guard up for grabs, and Momoi cannot wait to scope out the talent.

Everyone who actually participated in making their win happen is either asleep or subdued. Imayoshi-san and Susa-san have chosen to sit in front, so Momoi can't tell if they're asleep or not, but they're definitely not talking. Wakamatsu and Sakurai on the other hand, are definitely asleep. They're seated in the row behind Aomine and Kagami. Wakamatsu's leaning against the window while Sakurai's leaning on him. Momoi's pretty sure it's unintentional, unlike say, the cuddling Aomine instigated.

When the bus comes to a stop Momoi decides to nudge all four boys awake. Sakurai furiously apologizes to Wakamatsu who just ruffles his hair and tells him to stop it because he doesn't mind. Aomine and Kagami walk out of the bus without looking at each other. Momoi is beginning to understand some of their weirder past interactions.

She hooks her arms around theirs and smiles “So where are we celebrating?”

“Somewhere with food.” Kagami says. “Lots and lots of food.”

“Meat preferably.” Aomine adds.

“I could go for some Yakiniku.” Wakamatsu-san pipes in, and then loudly so everyone hears “Hey, who wants Yakiniku!?”

The other second years laugh and ask him if he's paying. Wakamatsu angrily denies that, which prompts even more teasing. As early as now Momoi can see why Imayoshi made Wakamatsu captain. People listen to him, but they find him approachable too. Imayoshi was the perfect leader for Touou's individualistic style, but Wakamatsu is the sort of leader they need for the future.

“If everyone's coming I'd rather go home.” Aomine mutters under his breath.

Momoi's about to scold him but Kagami beats her to it.

“Don't be an asshole,” he says, glaring “we're going to be playing with these guys next year.”

Aomine snorts “They don't have to like me to trust me.”

“Sure would help though. Don't make the second tier harder than it already is, we were just lucky that they trusted us enough for it this time around. Who knows what the new guy will be like?”

Aomine purses his lips, then turns away with a huff “Whatever, I want to eat yakiniku anyway.”

Momoi's eyebrows shoot up. _Dai-chan has it that bad huh_ , she thinks, _if he can't even stay stubborn_ _about something._

“If you have something to say Satsuki just spit it out.” Aomine snaps.

“You don't have to say it like that.” she snaps back.

“ _ **Hey**_ ,” Kagami says, loudly as to speak over them “can we please not do this? I'm tired. We won. We should be happy and celebrating like you said Momoi.”

“We should, but _**some people**_ are grumpy for some reason,” she pouts, exaggerates it a bit “and even after you had such a comfortable nap in the bus.”

Seeing Dai-chan choke on his own spit is incredibly worth it. He flits a look at Kagami, who looks on bewildered at Aomine's coughing fit, then turns away. Momoi knows from experience what an embarrassed Aomine looks like, and right now, the furrow of his eyebrow and the way he's biting the inside of his cheeks makes it clear that he wants to sink into a hole and disappear.

 _Well,_ she thinks, _might as well go for it._

“I'm glad you're close enough friends now that you're comfortable sleeping on Aomine-kun's shoulder Kagami-kun.”

Kagami flushes “Uh,” he clears his throat “well uh, Aomine volunteered so.”

“And I'm glad he did that!” she grips their forearms tightly “We've come a long way from that time you ditched us Dai-chan.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about.” Aomine says through gritted teeth.

Kagami chuckles, in a way Momoi can only describe as fond. “That wasn't even a year ago, and yet..” he shakes his head and laughs again “God, I was so _**pissed**_. You really were an asshole though, Ahomine. Well, you still are,” he smiles, flashing his teeth at them “but you aren't so bad really, not anymore.”

“Is that a compliment Taiga?” Dai-chan asks, though his face says he's determined to take it as a compliment whatever the answer.

“Guess it is.” Kagamin has a small smile on his face, looking almost shy.

“Oh,” Dai-chan's gaping, apparently at a loss for words “ok then.” he clears his throat “Thanks I guess.”

Now both of them look embarrassed, and though their gazes dart towards each other somehow they never meet. It's tiring to watch, but Momoi doesn't think pushing them is a very good idea. Inwardly, she sighs _._

 

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

 

Kagami criticized Aomine all the time for not being a team player but he kinda feels like he has to reexamine his own life now, since he can't remember most of his teammates' names. The problem is he's only ever really played and hung out with their regulars, so practically everyone else is a stranger to him.

At least he's not alone in that, Sakurai also seems to be struggling to socialize (although maybe it's mostly just because his default is apologetic and slightly terrified). Wakamatsu-senpai on the other hand _**does**_ seem to know everyone's names, which Kagami guesses is one of the many reasons he's the captain now.

The only reason that Kagami's vice-captain is sitting right beside him pointedly not talking to anyone.

“Would it kill you to try and make nice?” he whispers furiously.

Aomine snorts “Well it looks like it's killing _**you**_.”

“Shut up.”

“That's what I was doing before you started bothering me.”

 _God he's insufferable_. “Sometimes, I really hate you.”

Aomine tilts his head and smirks at him “And all the other times?”

Kagami glares and doesn't answer. There was no answer to that question that he was willing to say out loud. Anyway, complimenting Aomine's personality once in a day was already once too many. Wouldn't want the bastard's ego to get any bigger.

Aomine doesn't stop smirking and knocks their shoulders together, apparently in a good mood again. His recent mood swings are hard to understand. He's dealing with something, and it's not just the changes that he's going have to make with his playing style. It started, Kagami's sure, when he slept over at Aomine's house. Aomine had said that Kagami wasn't the problem, but he can't help but doubt that a little, considering the timing.

Kagami wishes he'd just say whatever it is he wants to say and get it over with, much as he understands the urge to beat around the bush when it comes to things that involve feelings. Well, he's not entirely sure what Aomine's thinking about is related to feelings, maybe Kagami's overthinking that morning at Aomine's house. Maybe what Aomine's really been mulling about is aiming for the NBA.

Their celebration ends pretty late into the night, but not too late that those who aren't staying in the dorms had to rush to catch the last train. Kagami walks home with Aomine and Momoi, and they head for his apartment first, probably so none of them have to walk alone at any point.

They're quiet almost the entire way, Momoi's joyful humming aside. Aomine's either deep in thought or dead tired. It's hard to tell when the street lights only occasionally illuminate their faces. The walk isn't that long, but when they get to the front of his apartment building, Kagami's convinced that all he has the energy for is taking off his clothes and crashing into bed.

He fights back a yawn. “Well this is me then.” he says, stopping in front of the entrance.

“See you tomorrow Kagamin!” Momoi replies, with all the energy that his own statement lacked.

Aomine opens his mouth to say something, then shoots a look at Momoi and clicks his tongue. He mutters a curse then says “Satsuki turn around.”

“What? Why?”

“Turn. Around.” he bites out. There's an edge to his voice that Kagami hasn't heard in a while.

Momoi's starts to protest, but then seems to realize something and wordlessly does as Aomine wants.

A moment passes with Aomine just standing there, glaring at Kagami. For some reason Momoi seems unbothered by the wait, suddenly taking an interest in her own fingernails and studiously keeping her gaze anywhere but behind her.

“Uh...” Kagami starts, unsure what to make of the situation “What's up?”

“Screw it.” Aomine says, before stepping forward and planting his mouth on Kagami's.

It's clear pretty much immediately that Aomine doesn't know what he's doing, but he's enthusiastic, if a bit rough. He's gripping Kagami's bicep firmly, but not so tightly that he can't shrug it off. His eyes are closed, but the crease on his eyelids makes it obvious he's forcefully keeping them shut – like he wants to peek but is desperately trying not to.

Kagami doesn't know how long it lasts, or if he pressed back, or if he gave any reaction at all besides shock.

Aomine pulls away and licks his own lips, gaze trained away from Kagami. “So anyway,” he says “good game, see you tomorrow.” And then he quickly grabs Momoi by the arm and pulls her away.

Momoi stumbles to keep pace with him at first, then spares one look at Kagami before turning back to Aomine to say something. Kagami doesn't hear it, so she's probably whispering it. Any other time he might have wondered about how uncharacteristic that was but right now his mind is busy replaying the last few minutes, unable to process it.

Mechanically he heads up to his apartment. Alex greets him with a congratulations once he's opened the door and he manages to give a weak reply before slumping down beside her on his couch.

“You seem dazed.” Alex says, like a statement, but the unspoken _why_ is clear.

“If...” he bites his lip, considering how to proceed “If someone kisses you, what does that mean?”

“Depends on why they kissed you really.” Alex shrugs “Why who kissed you? Was it Dai-chan?”

He palms the back of his neck. “Well, yes.”

“Ah,” Alex nods “well it was bound to happen sometime.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you two should talk about it.” she pats his knee “How did it happen anyway?”

“Well when we got in front of this apartment building, he told Momoi to turn around,” Alex snorts “then he just planted one on me out of nowhere, said 'Good game, see you tomorrow' and ran away with Momoi in tow.”

Alex starts guffawing “That's better than I imagined! Who could have guessed Dai-chan would be so awkward.”

“I just,” Kagami waves a hand “ _ **why?**_ ”

“You'll have to ask him,” Alex's voice is just dripping with amusement “did you like it though?”

“Yes.” he says immediately, almost instinctively, then “No.”

“Which is it?”

“Both?”

Alex sighs “Well then you two _**really**_ need to talk. Just make sure you have your feelings sorted out by then.

“Right.” Kagami sighs, running his thumb over his lips. _Right._

 

 

-o-o-o-o-o-

 

 

 

“Dai-chan, what did you do?” Satsuki asks in a stage whisper, but Aomine doesn't dare reply until they're well out of Taiga's hearing range.

Finally, he says “I don't want to talk about it.” although he knows Satsuki won't take that for an answer.

“What did you _**do**_!?” and true enough.

He lets go of her wrist and clicks his tongue, “Fine.” he roughly scratches the top of his head “I kind of, sort of, definitely kissed Taiga.”

“Oh,” Satsuki gasps “oh _**wow**_. I didn't–” she lifts a hand to her chest “well I didn't think this would happen so soon.”

There are implications to her answer that he'd rather not dwell on just yet so instead he says “I was pissed off.”

“And that's why you kissed him? Kagamin wasn't doing anything that should have pissed you off though?”

“Not at him!” he shouts. Satsuki shushes him.

“Not so loud Dai-chan.”

“Sorry.” he replies, lowering his volume so that only the two of them could hear “I just, this situation wasn't working for me anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, that I wanted to kiss him from the moment we won to the moment we were in front of his apartment and hell, even way before that, and I just didn't think I could go for two more years of not doing it.”

Satsuki gives him an incredulous look “So you just kissed him and ran? Dai-chan that's terrible! You're not thinking of Kagami-kun's feelings at all!”

“I know dammit!” he runs a hand through his hair, closing his eyes to take a calming breath “It's just been driving me crazy trying not to think about it so I thought, hey, get it over with, call it a joke the next day, maybe then it will be easy not to think about it.”

“Obviously it's not easier to stop thinking about it then.”

Aomine throws his hands up in the air “Obviously!”

Satsuki crosses her arms “So talk with Kagami-kun.”

“Right,” Aomine nods “what should I say?”

“I'm sorry I kissed you and ran I really like you so please go out with me?”

“Can you imagine me saying that in any universe?”

“It's romance Dai-chan!” she shakes him by his shoulders “It doesn't need to be in character!”

“That doesn't make any sense at all!”

Satsuki huffs, brows furrowed in frustration “I don't mean that you have to pretend to be someone else, I just mean that what's _'normal'_ for you two is useless when you're obviously moving beyond that.”

Aomine tries to absorb the determination and certainty in Satsuki's eyes because he doesn't really seem to have any of that right now.

“It's going to be fine Dai-chan,” Satsuki takes his head in hear hands, pressing firmly at his cheeks with her palms “it _**is**_ fine.”

It's times like these when Aomine remembers why he loves Satsuki so much, why he should appreciate her more like Taiga says. It's easy to forget, when they've been in each other's company for longer than either of them can remember, when Satsuki's nagging is as much of a given as his mother's. He's been so used to having Satsuki in his life he often forgets how lucky he is to have someone like her in it. Someone who'd stick with him through everything.

He closes his eyes and swallows, “Thanks.” he says “I should call him tonight.”

“No, you should probably think about what to say first Dai-chan, sleep on it. Remember that it should be from the heart.”

“The heart.” he opens his eyes again, pursing his lips slightly “Right.”

Satsuki snorts “It's late, we should go home. It's not polite to be loud out on the street this late at night anyway.”

She takes him by the wrist, and he lets himself get pulled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is so late, I was having a bit of a writers block. Basically I wanted this chapter to be so many things so I had a hard time writing it hahaha. Anyway. I'm nervous about posting for a lot of reasons, but... there
> 
> (1) You'll recall that I mentioned that there were rumors about Aomine and Momoi dating in Touou.
> 
> \+ I said in the last chapter that the basketball part of this fic is over and it is in so far as matches are concerned, but basketball is such an integral part of Aomine and Kagami's relationship (and their relationship with Momoi in this fic too) that there's definitely going to be some basketball talk still.
> 
> \+ This fic is probably a few chapters away from being finished, I know that more than a year ago I also said something like this, but this time I'm pretty sure of it. I'm not going to chronicle their lives into adulthood, but maybe there will be an epilogue set in the future, we'll see. 
> 
> \+ On another note, I think that it's probably more obvious in this chapter than in the others that all three of the pov characters in this fic tend to be unreliable narrators although in different ways. It's intentional, idk if I've mentioned it before, but anyway, I always operated under the rule that the narration of this story is based on what I think a) the pov character would focus on, and b) what the pov character's stream of consciousness is probably like.
> 
> \+ Also, if it's it not obvious by now, I love Momoi. 
> 
> \+ I'm not sure when the next update will be, since I am about to become very VERY busy again. Thank you all for the support! I really appreciate it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami and Aomine talk things out. several things.

Years later, if you asked Kagami what were the top three most memorable moments of his high school life, he would tell you that it's the first time he heard Coach say he'd be a starter, the first time he dunked from the free throw line, and their first win at the Winter Cup finals. None of that is a lie, but it's not the whole truth either. Privately, he has another list, Aomine's first genuine smile as he ate the ridiculously huge burger he made, their first clumsy kiss, and this, Aomine standing in front of Touou's gates looking determinedly down at the single wild flower in his hand.

Kagami's first thought at the sight, is that Aomine is such an idiot. Other students are openly staring at him as they pass by but he doesn't seem to notice. He's obviously going over what to say when he sees Kagami, probably overthinking it as much as Kagami is. He also obviously just picked up the flower on his was to school from the side of the road judging by the shabby state of it and the way it's drooping away from his hand.

Kagami's second thought is that he's also an idiot for finding this cute, worse, _**attractive**_. Annoying as it is, all this makes Kagami want to do is kiss him again. He thought he'd had this under control. Last night, he was shocked, but somewhat rational with a lot of help from Alex. Today, Aomine's lame attempt at romance makes him want to throw himself at him. Who knew he could be this pathetic. He went months without any of these feelings overflowing to the surface but one kiss and suddenly everything's different.

Not the world, no, nothing so dramatic. But nothing about his relationship about Aomine could ever be the same again, he just can't think of him the way he did before the kiss. He's pretty sure the feeling is mutual. But he can't let this ruin them, or the team. He likes him, he _**really**_ likes him, but he's not the type to let that get in the way of his dreams.

“Why are you holding a flower?” he asks, when he's finally standing in front of Aomine. He struggles to keep his face as neutral as possible.

Aomine snaps out of the daze he seemed to be in, head snapping up. He gapes at Kagami for a moment before looking back at his flower, which sadly looks like it's on the verge of wilting. He quickly stuffs it into his pocket and clears his throat.

“I just, uh–” he coughs again “–I need it. For–” he waves his hand “–you know.”

He really doesn't, but this isn't the time to tease him. “Alright.” he says slowly “Were you waiting for me?”

“Yeah.” Aomine says with a sigh, no bullshit, Kagami's glad. Beating around the bush is something they both dislike.

“We can't exactly talk here though.” Kagami glances to one side and sure enough, his eyes meet that of a curious on-looker (who then hastily looks away).

“Obviously.” Aomine huffs “Lunch? On the roof?”

“That wouldn't be very private, no one eats at the gym right? Let's go there.”

“That's too far from our classroom. Why don't we just skip school?”

Kagami frowns “They're celebrating our win at the morning assembly, it will be too damn obvious that we're not there.”

“Satsuki will cover for us.”

“ _ **The gym**_ ,” Kagami insists “just walk fast, we're athletes.”

“Fine.” Aomine grunts “But if we're late for English I'm blaming _**you**_.”

It's reassuring, Kagami thinks as they head up to their classroom, that they fall into an easy banter even when what they're talking about is a heart to heart that will probably have very serious effects on the future of their team (and that will also probably be extremely embarrassing since neither of them are used to that sort of thing).

They're praised by the principal during the morning assembly, and they receive a mix of enthusiastic cheers and polite applause from the student body. As they were on stage, Momoi would periodically shoot both him and Aomine meaningful looks. She obviously knows something. He wouldn't be surprised if Aomine talked to her about it immediately after walking off.

Time passes both quickly and slowly as lunch time approached. Kagami's never been a good note taker or student in general, but today he was even more useless at pretending he was even remotely studious. He couldn't fall asleep either, head swimming with predictions, best and worst case scenarios.

Aomine, true to form, is asleep. And he makes no attempts to be subtle about it.

Their teacher doesn't call him on it, maybe a concession for making the school proud or a sign that they've given up on keeping Aomine awake when he wants to sleep.

When lunch time finally arrives Aomine is still asleep so Kagami kicks his chair, finding satisfaction in the way he tumbles onto the floor, reflexes only just managing to let him land in an awkward crouch.

Aomine glares at him “What the f–”

  
“Don't curse asshole,” he grins “let's get moving.”

Kagami doesn't wait to see if Aomine follows him because he knows he will. He walks briskly, taking big strides and skipping steps on the way down the stair case. He can hear quick and heavy footfalls from behind him, the only sign Aomine is there.

The gym is thankfully as empty as he expected, and they're completely alone. He skips up to the stage stops right across the basketball hoop then turns around. He doesn't look at Aomine's face yet, instead he sets their bentos down in front of him and takes his seat. Slowly he unpacks them, segregating their shares and carefully placing their chopsticks beside their bento.

Taking a deep breath, he places his hands on his knees and grips tight. He looks up finally, to find that Aomine is still standing, expression seemingly neutral, but to someone who knows him, the subtle tightness of his jaw and the press of his lips are screaming tension. Kagami's a bit pleased that he can now recognize what Aomine looks like nervous, even when Aomine's desperately trying not to let it show.

“Sit.” he says, gesturing to the space in front of him.

Aomine follows without any objections, verbal or otherwise. He looks Kagami right in the eye as he does it, and it makes his heart race. Suddenly he feels a weight in his chest and it makes him feel queasy. He licks his lips and swallows.

“Why,” he chokes out finally.

Aomine runs his open palms across his thigh, as if he's wiping his sweat onto his uniform trousers.

The pause gives Kagami the strength he needs to ask: “Why'd you kiss me?”

A pained look passes Aomine's face briefly before it shifts to one of resignation.

“I wanted to.” he says, with a shrug that looks more forced than casual “I kind of, well...” he scratches the back of his head, frustrated “I like you. Have for a while now I think.”

Until the kiss, Kagami had never expected a confession like this from Aomine. Even after the kiss, Aomine confessing any sort of romantic feelings for him or anyone seemed so far removed from reality that Kagami found it much more likely that he'd only had a fever dream or, even more likely in his mind, Aomine was confusing the high of a great basketball game for a different sort of affection and was regretting that it ever happened. But he _**had**_ prepared for a genuine confession, or so he'd thought.

Now that it had actually happened he sits here mute, uncomprehending. He doesn't know how long his silence lasts but it's long enough that Aomine looks both uneasy and annoyed.

“You could, you know, _**react**_ _.”_ he says, frowning down at the food before him.

“Sorry.”

Aomine's head shoots up, looking stricken.

“Not about that!” he shouts “I meant for staring like a dumbass.” he sighs, runs a hand through his hair. “Are you serious?”

Aomine looks like he's preparing to take offense but Kagami interrupts him.

“I mean it. I need to know if you're serious, because I don't want to fuck up the team and myself just to play at being boyfriends.”

“I'm not– is _**that**_ what you think about me you bastard!?”

“I don't know _**what**_ to think! You've never showed any signs of liking me and it's awfully convenient that it happens right after we win the Winter Cup!”

“For your information, every time I bumped my head onto your stupid ass forehead, it was an excuse to get as close as I could without kissing you. One time it was an excuse so you wouldn't notice I almost kissed you in the middle of a whole damn stadium. And do you see me crashing anyone else's houses!?”

“Uhm, _**Momoi's?**_ ”

“Eww! No! Satsuki's like my sister! Shut up, don't say stuff like that!” he growls “And what do I have to do so you'll believe me? Kiss you again? Give you a hand job? Because I will do it you just watch.”

“You can't give me a hand job when we're in school where anyone could walk in, what the fuck!? We shouldn't even be talking about this here!”

“Well you're the one who won't believe me.” Aomine huffs, but then pauses, eyes widening “Wait, does this mean you wouldn't object to a hand job? Just not here?”

Kagami puts his head in his hands “Why do I even like you?” he grumbles.

“You like me?” Aomine asks, sounding a bit breathless.

Kagami looks at him through his fingers sees Aomine grinning, teeth bright, eyes wrinkling slightly. “Yeah,” he says, a grin slowly spreading on his own face “for some weird reason I really, really like you.”

Aomine leans forward, puts his hands right in front of Kagami's knees. “Well,” he says “that's great because like I said, I like you too. Really, really like you. Like you enough that I would kiss you in public.”

“Please don't.”

“How about right now?”

Kagami glances at the entrance. Empty. He looks back at Aomine who's slowly inching closer, then down at his lips.

“Make it quick.”

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

They're late for English, as he predicted, and the teacher scolds him more than he does Taiga, as Taiga predicted, but Aomine find that he just. does. not. _**care**_ about that right now. He's on a high that he refuses to fall from no matter how many disapproving looks his teachers throw his way.

He makes a few abortive attempts to pass a note to Taiga throughout the rest of the day, but he doesn't know what to say. Maybe there isn't anything else _**to**_ say right now anyway. He watches him instead, he doesn't know if their classmates notice him staring. Ryou probably does, but he'd never say anything. If it won't affect the game, the members of the Touou basketball team tended to mind their own business. Well, maybe not Wakamatsu or even, to a lesser extent, Taiga. (And they're in charge of the team now, but Aomine's not going to think about the repercussions of _ **that** _ just yet)

The sound of the final bell ringing is music to his ears and he jumps out of his seat immediately after their teacher dismisses them. He slings an arm around Taiga, grinning.

“Walk you home?”

Taiga makes a sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh “You just want a free meal Ahomine.”

“And then some,” he replies, and he enjoys the flush of Taiga's face “and what happened to Daiki?”

“Talking about yourself in the third person now?”

“I meant, what happened to calling me Daiki? We talked about this Taiga.”

Taiga gives him a sheepish sideways glance. “Didn't think you remembered that, you never brought it up.”

“Kept slipping my mind, but now that you're my–” Taiga shoots him a warning look “–well, you know. You should start calling me Daiki.”

“These things take time you know,” Taiga gets red all the way to his ears “it's embarrassing.”

“I've been calling you Taiga since forever.”

“You have no shame, it's easy for you.”

“That sounded like an insult, but I can't help but think it was a compliment.”

“You would.”

A loud squeal startles them both, and Aomine's arm slides off Taiga's shoulder as he presses his hand to his chest. They turn to their classroom door to find Satsuki jumping up and down and _**clapping**_.

“You worked things out!!” She shouts, looking like she's about to burst into tears. “Oh, this must be what it's like to see your daughter get married.”

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Oh not you Dai-chan, Kagamin,” she huffs “what's wrong with being a daughter though?”

“Nothing, except we're both men.”

“Details.” she waves a hand “Besides, I'm talking about _**my**_ feelings, it's just an analogy. You two can do whatever you want with yourselves.”

“I don't get what you mean,” Taiga says “and I have a feeling that I don't want to know.”

“Neither do I.” Aomine grunts. “Now that you know what's going on Satsuki, go home with one of your other friends or something.”

“Mean!” Satsuki huffs “I wasn't going to tag along! I'm not insensitive like _**some**_ people.”

“Hey! I'm _**very**_ sensitive.”

“To insults directed at you maybe.” Taiga teases “But the other kind of sensitive too sometimes.”

“Once in a blue moon maybe.” Satsuki nods.

“You both suck.” he crosses his arms “How could either of you claim to love me?”

“Love!” Satsuki eyes light up “Is that what you said?” she's acting like they're actually getting married.

“I wouldn't go that far just yet.” Taiga says, turning a bright shade of pink yet again.

 _Yet,_ he says. Aomine grins. “Yeah, not just yet.”

“Still, that's _**wonderful**_ , I'm so happy for you two!” again her eyes grow visibly damp, but she holds it in. “But I swear, if you ever break up and then ruin things for the rest of the team I am going to make life _**very**_ hard for the both of you.”

Taiga snorts “Guess we'll have to get married then.”

“You mean we're migrating to America?” he says it like a joke, but immediately Taiga stills. Satsuki looks back and forth between them as Aomine realizes what he'd just said.

“I _**am**_ going back to America.” Taiga says stiffly.

“I know.” Aomine replies softly, hooking one of his index finger's with Taiga's. “Let's go home?”

Taiga's finger curls into his “Yeah.”

“Well, I'm going home with my friends then.” Satsuki says, raising an eyebrow at Aomine. She looks like she's expecting something from him. Aomine's not sure what she wants, but she says no more and leaves them alone again.

 

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

They leave Touou in silence, side by side but not touching. Not what Kagami envisioned when Aomine said he'd walk him home today but reality has a way of putting a damper on things.

When Kagami came back to Japan, he knew he might make some good friends but it never occurred to him that he might meet someone that would make him even a little bit reluctant to leave. Life happens, that's just the way things are. 

But Aomine is a once in a life time person. Dating or whatever aside, Kagami doesn't know if he's ever going to get to play basketball with someone like Aomine again. There are many people in the NBA who are better than Aomine, sure, but the easy effortless way he moves, his formless shots... Aomine's style has a certain grace to it that Kagami's never before seen in his life and he thinks, he might never see it again. To leave that behind, on top of leaving the person he's grown so fond of behind, well, it's far more difficult that Kagami had thought it would be.

He sighs when they get to his front door. He wonders if Alex is in there. He kind of hopes she isn't. If she sees their down state they're probably in for a lecture or worse, painfully obvious knowing looks.

He's just getting his key into the keyhole when Aomine says “Hey.” in a soft voice. Kagami turns to him to find him frowning at his feet.

“I've been thinking about getting an English tutor.” he shoves his hands in his pockets “What school did you say you were applying to?”

Kagami gapes at him for a long moment. For the second time today Aomine's rendered him speechless, making him doubt if he's still in his bed dreaming up this entire day.

“What're–” he turns his whole body towards him “Do you want to go with me to America?”

“Well,” Aomine clears his throat “I can see myself in the NBA. It's a nice picture.” he smiles “You're there too maybe.”

That startles a laugh out of him “Is that right? Pretty confident for someone who wasn't even listening during English earlier. We'll both need better grades to get into UCLA you know, even if we do manage a scholarship.”

“Well, I've got some good motivation now.” he shrugs grinning wider, Kagami's hearts skips a beat.

“That's,” he turns back towards the door “we uh, we better get inside.”

“Embarrassed?” Aomine's voice is so close to his ear that he drops his keys.

“Don't do that!” Kagami shouts, putting his hand over his ear as he bends down to pick up his keys.

Just then he hears the door click open and he's faced with Alex's bare feet. He hears Aomine say “wow” in a stage whisper, and then he's sure her feet won't be the only thing that's bare. She's wearing a t-shirt at least, but it's short enough that you can see her belly button, and she's got nothing else on besides her underwear.

“Alex, how many times have I told you to wear pants.” he steps in, pushing Alex further into the apartment by her shoulders.

“Don't be such a prude Taiga.” she teases, while he struggles to remove his shoes, and then peering behind him she adds “Hey there genius boy, here to make out with Taiga again?”

“Uh.” is all Aomine manages to say before Kagami manhandles her into the guest bedroom, shouting at her to get dressed.

When he gets back to Aomine he finds him going through his cds intently, although there's a faraway look in his eyes that suggests the cds arent really what he's thinking about.

“Can we just order dinner?” Kagami asks “I'm still a bit tired to be honest.”

“Sure.” Aomine shrugs, still gazing at the cd rack.

Kagami calls a ramen shop and places an order for all three of them, when he returns to where Aomine is, he's seated himself on the floor legs splayed out in front of him and under the table. He's staring at the ceiling with a crease on his forehead. Kagami wonders if he's troubled about the thought of moving to America. It's nothing short of a life changing experience after all.

So he says, “You don't have to force yourself.” and then when Aomine turns his gaze at him “I don't want you to go and just your life plans for me.”

Aomine eyes furrow “What are you talking about?”

“Just that, if you had other plans for your life, don't throw them away just to go to the NBA for me, you're your own guy.”

Aomine stares at him for a moment in disbelief “If you think that I'm doing it just so we could continue dating you really are an idiot.”

That gives Kagami pause “So why are you doing it?”

“Well,” Aomine sighs “I'm not going to lie, you're pretty great, that's part of the reason, but it's not just because I like you. I just–” he squeezes his eyes shut, breathes out through his teeth “I've never seen anyone play like you. If there's a chance to keep playing with or against you, I'm taking it. I had plans sure, but I want this more than any of those plans. Those were pretty boring to be honest.” he stares right into Kagami's eyes “This is more for me than it is for you. I hate being bored.”

Kagami gapes at him for a beat then starts laughing so hard tears well up in his eyes. Aomine looks extremely offended.

“Why did I ever think you'd have romantic reasons?” he says through giggles.

“I think it's plenty romantic Taiga.” Alex strolls in with a grin on her face and a pair of pedal pushers on. “Get to the NBA, play for ten to fifteen years and if you're still together by then get married, adopt some kids, run a business together till you're old and grey and live happily ever after.”

Kagami raises an eyebrow “That was unexpectedly detailed.”

“It's a good life plan is what it is.” she slaps him on the shoulder then sits on the floor across Aomine. “What do _**you**_ think Aomine-kun?”

Aomine doesn't answer immediately, glances to one side, expression thoughtful. Just as Kagami's taking his seat beside Alex he says “Playing basketball and getting married sounds good, I don't know yet about kids though.”

Kagami slips a little as he sits down “We only just started dating!” he shouts, feeling his face heat.

“Oh, I think you've kind of been dating for a while.” Alex snorts “Only difference now is you finally got around to kissing.”

“God.” Kagami groans burying his face in his hands “I _ **knew**_ you would be terrible about this.”

Alex slaps him on the back “Don't be shy Taiga, look, Daiki over here isn't embarrassed.”

“He's never had any shame to begin with!” Kagami exclaims.

“Still taking that as a compliment.” Aomine quips.

“Well it's still not a compliment, _**Daiki**_.” he meant to tease, but saying Aomine's first name makes him flush.

Aomine grins “You finally said it.”

“Shut up.” Kagami huffs and turns away from him, only to be faced with Alex's Cheshire cat grin.

“Cute,” Alex says “real cute.”

“You shut up too.”

They spend the rest of the night talking about America and the NBA. Aomine tries to hide his excitement, but there's a light in his eyes as Alex talks about her experiences, and who they'll probably be playing with when they get drafted. It's not the first time Kagami's talked with Alex about this, it's come up several times while he was growing up. Every time they talked, she'd say “ _ **if**_ he got drafted”. He can't help but feel a bit giddy when he notices that for their entire conversation that night, Alex has been saying _**when**_.

 

 

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

 

 

 

Dating doesn't really change much in their relationship. Aomine comes over for dinner, sometimes he stays the night, they go to school, they bicker, and no one except for Momoi and Alex seem to notice anything's different. Occasionally there's kissing. Occasionally there's _**lots**_ of kissing. Occasionally, they might get really riled up but decide they're not quite emotionally ready to go there yet.

“Physically I'm ready.” Aomine had said “Physically I'm _**very**_ ready.”

But they had time. So, taking it slow seemed... smarter. Better, at any rate.

When the seniors graduate, Wakamatsu gets really emotional. He doesn't cry but it's a near thing. Kagami finds himself getting a bit emotional too, but he keeps it in check. The team bows down to their seniors in respect. Imayoshi doesn't wish them luck. He says they don't need it. Kagami found it surprisingly encouraging.

Alex flies back to America right in time for practice to start up again. Kagami's apartment feels strangely empty, but he's never lonely because Aomine and Momoi often visit.

Aomine tries to skip their first day of practice, but Wakamatsu manages to coax him back by saying “Kagami's gonna be better than you soon if you don't watch out.” Kagami remembers Aomine's nostrils flaring, he never skips practice again.

Being vice captain is something he has to get used to, but he doesn't really have problems with the other third years, and he's thankful. His work involves a lot more meetings with Wakamatsu, Momoi and Coach than he thought, but it's fulfilling.

 _I_ _t's going to be a good year_ , Kagami thinks, and he's looking forward to it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is it. This is the last chapter. I had planned for this fic to be longer, as you might have noticed from my previous end notes. Everything that happened in this chapter beginning from Aomine's POV was supposed to span a few chapters. But, as Kagami said this chapter, life happens. I'm extremely busy, writing this takes a lot of mental energy and a lot of hours of my day. People asking me for updates drains me emotionally because I feel guilty. So after writing three versions of this chapter in the months since chapter 28 and scrapping them both because I wasn't happy with them in the least, I began writing this version and decided it had to be the last. 
> 
> That said, I hope this chapter doesn't seem so rushed. I really wanted to give this a proper ending. I wrote it as I wrote all my other chapters, with a pace that felt natural, going for a slightly slice of life feel, etc. So personally, I didn't think it feels rushed, but, you will all be the judge of that I guess. Also, while I say that this is the last chapter, there will be an epilogue set in the future as I had originally planned. When I'll be able to upload that, I can't tell you, hopefully it's soon. I might also write other fic set in this universe, but those will just be one-shots, I don't think I'll be writing something quite this big again any time soon haha. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who's been reading this fic from the start. Thank you to everyone who started reading half way or near the end. Thank you to everyone who commented, gave kudos and sent me supportive messages. Thank you all, I couldn't have finished this fic without you.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few real people currently involved with the Lakers (both of whom also played with the LA Lakers once upon a time, you may have heard of them) make an appearance with this epilogue because I felt it would really bring home how they've made it. Anyway.

**Four Years Later.**

 

They have fought too hard, _**too hard**_ , to get into UCLA together to give up now. Their coach is an asshole and college basketball in America is worse than what Kagami expected but he'll be damned if they lose this thing. He's not going to give up. He isn't.

He looks at Aomine from across the huddle. He nods slightly, and that's all it takes for him to get it. They aren't as touchy feely with each other out on the open these days. Not with this new team and this asshole coach who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing.

At least he wasn't too blind to see that he and Aomine were assets. At least they have a chance.

Kagami's tuning out their coach's instructions now, grins at Aomine and taps his own temple. Aomine grins back.

He can't scold us if we win.

 

 

 

**Six Years Later.**

 

Officially, they're on a leave of absence from school. But everyone knows they may not be coming back. Neither of them even hesitated.

They approached Kagami first, who told them on no uncertain terms that he and Aomine were a package deal. And then they laughed at him and said “Yeah we know, that's why we went to you first.”

Nobody else wants them at the draft. Or, no, that's not true, the Lakers have cut a deal with everyone and nobody wanted them enough to fight it.

“They don't see your potential like we do.” Coach Walton says, and Kagami still can't quite believe it.

The inks barely dry on their contracts when they get thrust into Summer League games. It's fantastic. The most fun either of them have had since high school.

It's been a while since all they had to worry about was basketball. And it shows, Aomine's grinning like the old days and clearly, in Kagami's eyes, teetering into the zone.

They don't win the whole thing, but they make it to the top four and it's enough. Enough to prove to everyone the Lakers weren't crazy for picking the two of them up.

 

 

 

**Eight Years Later.**

 

There are reporters when he walks out of his apartment building. No, not reporters, paparazzi. They're not really asking him questions, just shouting hi and taking more than a few pictures of him. Kagami doesn't say hi back because he doesn't want to encourage them. Also the attention makes him uncomfortable. The difference one trophy makes in your life is pretty insane.

He's thought a few times of getting a house in the suburbs for more privacy, but it would be a nightmare to explain why he and Aomine Daiki are buying a house together in the suburbs. The “great big bromance” narrative the media and their PR team is selling right now because of their adjacent apartments is not going to fly. Kagami wants a few more championships under his belt before he deals with being known for something other than basketball.

It's not a “never”, it's a “someday”, in his own terms, in _**their**_ terms. He and Daiki are in agreement. Right now it's all about basketball, no matter how much the paparazzi want to catch him doing who knows what. The Lakers have only just broken their championships dry spell with their win, and Kagami wants to create a new dynasty with them.

He gets in his car and pulls out of the parking lot. He's seeing Satsuki in that café that takes way too long to make a cup of coffee. She says she read online it was the best cafés in Los Angeles. Kagami's not sure any cup of coffee is worth the long wait but ok. Daiki's already with her, it was his turn to pick her up from the airport.

He's five minutes early, and they're not there yet. Sadly, this means Kagami has to order something so he can save them a table. He has no idea what 90% of the things on the menu are so he just orders their House Blend (he doesn't know what's in it but whatever) and takes a seat by a window so Daiki and Satsuki can see him even before they get in.

The great thing about this café, Kagami thinks, is that if anyone recognizes him, they sure don't make it obvious. Which is fine by him, the attention is flattering but if he can eat out in peace, even better. Some kid in a beanie a few tables away openly gawks at him for like a minute, but he doesn't approach him so it's cool.

Satsuki and Daiki arrive before his coffee does which is not really a surprise and equal parts annoying and hilarious, but he doesn't have much time to indulge his inner grumpy old man before Satsuki's got him wrapped in a tight hug, giddy with joy.

“Yeah she did that to me at the airport too.” Daiki says, in a mix of English and Japanese.

Unperturbed, Satsuki replies in Japanese “I have the right to be happy for you two! Champions!!”

Daiki laughs good-naturedly. He's more relaxed these days. His parents say he's matured a lot. They're together every single day, so Kagami tends not to notice so much, but here, with Satsuki, he _**feels**_ it.

“Come on,” Daiki says “you've been raving about their menu the whole ride here so might as well order.”

“Oh right, sit tight Kagami-kun!”

The kid with the beanie is staring again. And – _oh Jesus he's taking a picture_. Kagami wants to shout that he's not being subtle, anyone can see he's taking pictures of Daiki and Satsuki talking in line. Daiki's head is tilted down to better hear and talk to Satsuki over the noise and it all looks very couple-y and intimate if you were someone that didn't know them at all.

He wonders if the kid has pictures of Satsuki hugging Kagami too. He snorts at what the tabloids tomorrow are probably going to say.

 

 

 

**More Years, Six NBA Championships and an Olympic Medal Later.**

 

PR has Magic Johnson do the press conference, set the ground for the big announcement. He starts off by reminding everyone that “Taiga Kagami and Daiki Aomine have helped us win six NBA championships” and that “there is no doubt that they will go down in the books as legends”. Kagami's standing behind him with Daiki and he can see the press get agitated and bewildered because they can't understand why the Lakers would hold such a huge press conference for something anyone with a phone and google could find out. “ _What's the catch?_ ” their faces seem to say.

This is sort of fulfilling a childhood dream he never knew he had and will probably come down as the biggest or second biggest press conference in Lakers history. It's going to depend on who you ask, Kagami guesses.

When Magic's done extolling their virtues he gives the microphone to Kagami. “Daiki's too unpredictable,” PR had said, privately Daiki took offence but even more privately he was relieved he didn't have to be the one to do it.

Kagami takes the microphone with shaking hands, he thanks Magic and throws in a self-deprecating joke to play up the humility. Then he takes a deep breath and gets straight into it.

“Daiki and I are getting married this August.” shocked silence “To each other.” he adds, in case it wasn't clear. Reporters start to frantically raise their hands “We've been dating since high school and we hope you can be supportive.” he clears his throat, reporters are now vocally trying to ask him questions. He doesn't know if it's the nerves but he can't hear them. So he just says “Thank you.” and turns around, handing the microphone back to Magic.

Daiki takes his hand and walks out of the room with him while cameras flash and Magic _freaking_ Johnson is holding the fort for them, telling everyone in a firm voice that they're not taking any questions and he hopes everyone respects their privacy.

Their agent starts shouting something about the internet exploding and Daiki starts laughing about all their friends back in Japan e-mailing him and groaning about being kept out of the loop along with everyone else (They've only told their parents and Satsuki, she's their wedding planner. She hired herself for the job.)

Daiki looks happy and undisturbed by the oncoming media storm. More than a decade later the wrinkles of his eyes and the beam of his teeth whenever he smiles still makes Kagami's heart skip a beat.

“Hey,” Kagami says “I love you.”

Daiki startles for a moment, then smiles again, wider. He leans in for a kiss.

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue's pretty short simple, but I think I managed to pack a lot into it. Some subtle relationship and character development, and, I hope, an adequate general picture of their career path and personal life through the years. I can only hope I achieved what I wanted to with this. 
> 
> I worked on this fic for four and a half years through my college graduation and into law school and I'm so glad that it, and all of you who have given me so much love through your kudos and comments (even though I am terrible at replying to anything that isn't a question, I love you all and your comments make my day, always). I probably won't be writing long fic for KnB anymore, but one of these days when time permits, maybe I'll do one shots set in random points throughout this epilogue. Again, I'm really thankful to all of you who have supported me from the beginning, or even from the middle or even from just around the end. I appreciate all of you from the bottom of my heart.


End file.
